Break in

[Mucky_Waters]

Bummer Dave.
Not likely the guy will ever come back, he knows you'll be on your toes now and it will be much easier for him to find some other place to hit where the people will be as unsuspecting as your were.
I'll tell you one thing, if someone really wants to break into a house a locked door or window is't that much of a deterrent. It takes very little effort to break a window, and if you do it right it doesn't make a lot of noise. Of course if it's just a passing vagrant locked windows and doors might just be enough to deter them.
I agree with Addy about the getting some sort of surveillance system hooked up at your house. Here is a typical one, though I would suggest getting a system with more cameras. Systems like that not only give you some peace of mind they also can be a visible deterrent for someone contemplating busting into your home. If you take a moment to think like a thief and are contemplating breaking into someones home, which would you feel more comfortable breaking into, a house with that doesn't appear to have any security features, or a home that has an obvious surveillance system? Considering most homes don't yet have surveillance systems it's very easy for thief just to move to the next house if they see any sign that the one they are considering has some sort of security system in place. This is one reason that even fake cameras work so well as a deterrent.
As for assaulting some stranger in your house, I don't think that would ever be a good idea unless they threatened you first and you were forced to defend yourself. Violence breeds violence and things could escalate very fast. I'm a pretty fit guy and been in construction all my life, but I'd never be so presumptuous as to assume because I'm angry and it's my house that I could confidently overpower and subdue another man that I know nothing about, except that this guy is an obvious criminal, and desperate and gutsy enough to break into people's homes. If he is gutsy enough to do that, he's probably prepared to defend himself, probably a lot more prepared than I (or you) would be under those circumstances. No, that's how people get killed, isn't your life, and your wife's life, worth more than a banana?

 

[capewind]

I'm sorry you are going through this. We've never had a break in, but times are not what they used to be. For no real reason, we went from leaving the house unlocked at night, with even the car keys in the vehicles, to locking all. We supposedly live in a safe area, but crime is WAY up. For the most part, it is the drug scene out of control (steal things to pay for their habits).
Best defense is to do your best to not become a victim. We all know what can be said for hind sight, and I am really not thinking in terms of forgetting to lock something, but the fact that our two younger children are daughters, so as a parent, have this mind set as a general rule of life.
It is easy to say that if we caught someone red handed, they would regret it (via their physical harm), but the basic fact is to use your head. Someone entering our home, with us here, WITH deadly force, would meet with the same, We ARE well armed, with both traditional and non traditional options. An unarmed intruder, I actually find more frightening, as IF they are strung out on drugs, simply "restraining" them (citizen's arrest) to wait for law enforcement can be even more dangerous than if they had a weapon.
Laws are sketch from community to community where deadly force is considered appropriate to use. For people like my husband and son (both big/strong men), society would question their use of deadly force if not met with a weapon, yet for the girls and I, heck, we are each 120-125 lbs, the use of deadly force would almost go unquestioned for a "simple" home invassion.
I don't mean to ramble here, just asking folks to think before they act... Forethought is half the battle...

 

[sissy]

I lock everything even the guest house and the basement doors and windows ,There is no access to the house upstairs from the basement .I didn't need one or want one .

 

[addy1]

Dave
The system we have is http://www.q-see.com/
We have a ip camera and a dvr system. Mainly used to watch the critters. Just a few watch the drive and house.

 

[Dave 54]

The insurance people welched on the replacement of the laptop saying the building was insecure {god we know this already) but they are flatly refusing to cover the loss, another kick in the teeth for us. Now we have to hope that they either catch this guy, who last week hit another home in our area this time leaving a young girl so frightened that someone has been in her home that she now refuses to sleep there staying with her grandparents instead.
I only these people could be made to see the damage they have done but whilst in grip of Heroin addiction they dont give a damn .
Our cats are wondering why they cant come and go as they please at night, we are still paraniod as hell that either he or someone else will try again and Val flatly refuses to go out at night even to our koi club meetings.
I'm now having to take our claim to the imsurance ombusman to see if he can help with our claim, annoying to say the very least I'm unsure now as to who is the biggest crook, our burgular or our insurance company ?

rgrds

Dave

 

[fishin4cars]

Dave, One thing I can agree on that the US and the UK have in common, Insurance crooks! Some companies are better than others, but they still legally steal from those that earned what they have and pay to protect it. If the person that is doing this is still hitting homes in the area, he's probably a local, and he will probably get caught. If the police in your area, even care about catching him. That's another problem here, if they don't catch them in the act, very seldom do the police do much. But I can tell you, fire a couple of shots with a shotgun off in the air while you have 911 on the phone and their response time getting there becomes quite fast! LOL

 

[sissy]

very true so far my son is still waiting for his money from his looses from storm sandy .

 

[addy1]

One thing you do learn, break a window..................

 

[MarcusNZ]

Alarm with "stay" & "away" functions and k9s have always worked well for me. I was burgled 3 times during my 3 months living away from home at the ripe old age of 19. I purchased my first dog (an English Bull Terrier) and have never looked back since. She was "my darlin" for the next 15years and protected me, my flat mates, house, home & eventually new family. She was a noble soul that had an excellent judgement of character and was called upon on more than one occasion to exercise her protective nature. I'm now on my second EBT and we also have a rescue American Pitbull. Both are wonderful family pets, guard dogs and are well socialised. My squids may be able to crawl all over them but I would honestly hate to be the intruder breaking my window or climbing my fence in the middle of the night...