About 5am this morning our carport security light came on, the sensor faces into the carport so people walking past do not set it off.
Looked out a window facing into the carport in time to see someone running out from inside the carport. Rang the council security patrols (they always attend faster) and then the police. Three council patrol cars turned up in the area and also the police.
Apparently there have been a spate of break ins on vehicles and homes in our area both at night and during the day.
Installing security lights back and front is one the best thing we have ever done.
NB: At first I thought it was "Charlie" our neighbours cat who sets it off sometimes by jumping on our vehicles
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 29th of September 2013 09:10:28 AM
I've been the victim of a couple of break-ins and I can tell you it ain't fun. I surprised myself one time by shoving a bloke against a wall but he was too slippery and managed to escape. Good thing he did or I would have wrung his neck. Jeez those low life make me puke.
Thanks Bryan, lived here at this address for 24 years and so far haven't been burgled, place next door has been done over twice (but not recently) and another two doors down just recently and once before. We've been lucky so far....it always worries me going away although we take security measures we never know what we might find when we return.
-- Edited by Duh on Sunday 29th of September 2013 10:10:02 PM
I have found that Clipsal Infrascan are the cat's whiskers for outside use. Other cheaper units fall to bits from UV, and the operation is not as good.
The good thing is that the family can go outside at night without the need to switch lights on and off.
I wish I had put more incandescent bulbs to one side for the units though. Because the 'green' (hah!) 'compact' (phooey!) fluorescent bulbs legislated for by Malcolm Turnbull do not last when used for that purpose.
It would be good to have some cheap but robust, wireless video security cameras hard wired to the Infrascans along with the lights. Waiting on technology and price reductions.
I've been the victim of a couple of break-ins and I can tell you it ain't fun. I surprised myself one time by shoving a bloke against a wall but he was too slippery and managed to escape. Good thing he did or I would have wrung his neck. Jeez those low life make me puke.
You had better watch it with the brute strength, Tiger. Any Cougars reading will come after you.
Good suburb, but the pharmacy, local doctor and dentist in the little shopping centre started getting robbed about 6 years ago, when a 7-Eleven opened at the shops. It must attract them into the suburb.
In recent years I found a balaclava stowed under the Golden Cane outside our house and another time a replica Glock pistol was found hidden next to a neighbour's fence post. In the last few weeks ago I chance encountered a well built bloke in his late teens, no shoes, on the front balcony in the early afternoon (a popular time for home burglary). I asked him what he wanted and he said he was lost on the way to the railway station. He took off, which was lucky for me because he had one of those early Holden hubcap removers, steel and about 300mm, in his hand.
As I say, this is in a respectable, quiet 'burb.
In Australia the number of home burglaries has been rising for years. Unfortunately the clearance rate has been going the other way.
In Qld and most States and Territories outside of NSW you have to be careful how you defend yourself. The standard of proof is reversed and you the defending homebody could be the one in the dock.
Here is NSW, good for them. I wish Qld would catch up:
Just be aware Vic these low life some times do a reccy,so the next time they visit they only take a few secs /mins to rob you.
These type have no skills other than the skills to rob honest people.
Thanks herbie, we are also having a spate of cars being set alight at night in peoples carports in adjoining suburbs which is a bit of a worry too. Good to bear in mind too that these lowlifes also do the odd trip around oz using these skills to fund their trip along the way.
Nah......not Wombat......although from the backside on the intruder that I saw it could be, just managed to sqeeze between the roller door and the car.
Same out my way which I always though would be too far away from town for people to come and attempt break-ins, but recently and just down the road from me, a couple took their dog for a walk early afternoon and came home to find the kitchen window broken and jewellery and cash missing. They were only gone a short time and you'd have to think someone was watching the place, but as far as I know, nobody has been caught for it.
A couple of months ago and about 2klm from me, a chap heard a noise during the night. At first he dismissed it as animals, but got up to investigate and when he put on the back light a ute started up and took off down his long drive with another ute following without lights. He soon realised that the first ute was his own and loaded up with $40,000 worth of his tools.
I haven't seen any statistics, but I believe a lot of this started when John Howard brought in the firearm laws. The only ones who have serious firearms these days are the crooks and they don't need them because they know that the chances of encountering a home owner with a gun is highly remote. The crooks are also fully aware that the home owner will get into more trouble than the early settlers if he/she discharges a firearm.
When I come home late after a PM shift, I'm never sure what I'll find. I keep the gate locked, but that doesn't stop them. The old saying that crooks are too lazy to earn their ill gotten gains is out of date. They don't mind a bit of a walk and having to carry stuff to a waiting vehicle!
I was broken into during the day back in late January 1999 and the feeling that gets you when you come home from work and realise that someone has been in your house and may even be still there hiding is far from pleasant. I walked through the house, carving knife in hand as I peeked through all the door cracks to make sure nobody was hiding behind one or in a corner. I also slid the wardrobe doors open to make sure they weren't hiding there too. Having the knife was stupid really. If the intruder had of sprung out and surprised me, it might well have been me doing 8 years for manslaughter when in all my life I've never had so much as a speeding fine (touch wood.)
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Proud owner of an 2006 3lt turbo diesel Rodeo. Van will be next!!
Scary stuff QK, I think someone could have been watching our place during the day (eg; driving past etc) and noticed my campervan was missing and thought I was away (I have taken it to an address where I store it under cover).
I also get a suss looking bloke who rides around the neighbourhood on a mountain bike, stares in at properties but avoids eye contact if he sees you out front. Neighbour two doors down left there trailer on the verge briefly and a 4WD came along, hooked up and took off with it during the day. One neighbour saw it but didn't take any notice or number etc as they thought the owner had lent it to them.
Same place has been broken into twice, once they left the radio on while they went shopping, when they got back it had been burgled. The radio had been turned off, obviously so the burglar could hear if they returned.
More recently, they went away on holiday and had someone take their dog to care for it while they were away (a good watchdog when it is there) and when they returned the place had been ransacked and even their safe broken into. Things like this tend to make you look at people passing by in vehicles or on foot with suspicion.
Scary stuff QK, I think someone could have been watching our place during the day (eg; driving past etc) and noticed my campervan was missing and thought I was away (I have taken it to an address where I store it under cover).
I also get a suss looking bloke who rides around the neighbourhood on a mountain bike, stares in at properties but avoids eye contact if he sees you out front. Neighbour two doors down left there trailer on the verge briefly and a 4WD came along, hooked up and took off with it during the day. One neighbour saw it but didn't take any notice or number etc as they thought the owner had lent it to them.
Same place has been broken into twice, once they left the radio on while they went shopping, when they got back it had been burgled. The radio had been turned off, obviously so the burglar could hear if they returned.
More recently, they went away on holiday and had someone take their dog to care for it while they were away (a good watchdog when it is there) and when they returned the place had been ransacked and even their safe broken into. Things like this tend to make you look at people passing by in vehicles or on foot with suspicion.
That dreadful Duh. And unfortunately it's an escalating problem. The crooks are getting smarter and the do-gooders don't want people chastised "too harshly!"
These people are so brazen too. Fancy hooking up to your neighbour's trailer like that!
It's also getting very hard to describe a potential offender to police. The latest crazy American gangster trend is for young people to get around in "hoodies" making it very difficult to see their faces or describe them.
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Proud owner of an 2006 3lt turbo diesel Rodeo. Van will be next!!
Just thought I would add this piece of info ... a caravan was stolen from Injune QLD, lucky for the people who had it nicked, it was recovered and two men arrested and charged.
Very lucky for the owners of this van as reports say only one van is recovered out of every hundred stolen.