security suggestions - prowler around the house

shabbyroad

The last few nights I've noticed 2 fellas about 18 yrs old on mountain bikes cycling around our estate. Yesterday the two side gates either side of our house were open - one of the gates we never actually use and I'm pretty anal about closing them.
When we came home last night one of the gates (the same one that we never actually use) was open again. I saw the fellas cycling around again..... dunno about you but it's odd to see kids cycling around near midnight....it's a v.quiet estate and I watched him scoping out the houses and looking into cars.... some neighbours have had their cars broken into (Hyundais are target-du-jour because they come fitted with Pioneer branded stereos)...

Anyway, when I looked out into the back garden this morning I noticed that some of the garden furniture had been disturbed/moved around/knocked over....so someone had been snooping around alright.

Apart from putting a couple of padlocks on the gates (which I'm doing soon as the nearest hardware-type-shop opens today) is there anything else I can do ?
The house and shed are on a monitored alarm system and we're overlooked on all sides - the only way in and out of the garden is via those gates or over neighbours fences. The shed is part of a larger building in the garden which also has a small studio in it. All very secure (double doors with locks, no windows, alarmed and so on). I'm not so worried about anyone getting in - it's just the feeling of knowing some little skanger has been snooping around that gives me the willies.

Any ideas ? A dog is out of the question unfortunately. I'd like to make this little skangers life as difficult as possible - would love to boobytrap him but I realise I'd probably come off worse (and that sort of thing only works in the movies !).
Practical suggestions welcome.

woolymammoth

how about lights! motion sensor lights. they detect movement
and turn on automatically. these f*ckers would probably prefer
snooping in the dark, so take it away from them.

http://www.woodiesdiy.com/woodies/dept.asp?dept%5Fid=1102&shop=woodies&mscssid=6MD1XHR0QRG78GRCC07D1SXKQ9UX6Q83

Clintons Cat

Ditto Woolly Mamoths reccomendation

If you havent already got house insurance get some quickly.

Other than that you can pick up CCTV cameras with a video out plug for next to nothing.If they are local they will want to avoid being sighted.It wont stop a determined pro but it might persuade a couple of chancers to try elsewhere.

Put trelis around the top of the fences,it makes it harder for a thief to climb over,if you dont use a particular gate, why not nail it shut?

Booby traps are out of the question,Thieves have been known to successfully sue houseowners for-get this-Loss of earnings when injured by concealed barbed wire/broken glass ect.

Goodluck

shabbyroad

Lights it is - that seems to be the missing piece. Easy to install and not expensive.

I think the access via the gates is now not an issue (they're padlocked) and I'm going to put something like scarestrip on top of the gate frames.

I'm fully insured and as the house is v.new the windows and doors are covered by alarm sensors and PIR. I don't really expect anyone will be able to break in - I just want to make it bloody obvious to the little sh1ts that they will be wasting their time and go somewhere else.

I've thought about a camera or two - might take a look out for a have decent time lapse recorder too.

yeah tempting and all as a booby trap is it would be typical Irish 'justice' that I would be the one to come off worse.....though it would be nice to see the little fvcker covered in paint.....

Victor

There are products out there to stop people climbing drain pipes and poles - like a cross between a paint and a grease. Putting soem on the top 6 inches of the gate / wall may do soem dissuading (just remember it's there when you lock your self out.)

shabbyroad

excellent idea Victor - I'll get a tub of that stuff, it's tar-like and should be quite effective.

Borzoi

Ditto for the lights and motion detectors, but set the lights to work when you come in the drive, so you can walt to your front door illuminated. It means you get a benefit of your secuity system.

Also what Victor said about the non drying paint, I've used it myself, it's absolutely foul stuff but very effective. Assuming there's a top board over the gate, lash it on up there, your 'visitors' will be singing 'Mammy' on the way home.

jabaroon

Also,

Get your camera out. Take a couple of clear photo's of them. Ideally at dusk so they will see the flash.

That way, they know that they have been spotted AND are on film. It shoulds unlikely that you will be broken into, but maybe your neighbours may not be so lucky.

You then have some nice handy leads for the cops!

Jab

shabbyroad

I've fitted lights with PIRs and have requested a meeting with the local community Garda.

That 'sticky stuff' isn't available in Atlantic; apparently B&Q stock it so I'm going to take a look there.

Might fit a couple of cameras - not the large CCTV type because that will only attract attention ('what has he got to protect in there?' type thinking) - there are PIR actitvated cameras that I could hook up to a long play VCR. Might be helpful if I suspect someone prowling around - and might even see the little fvcker(s).

My cousin (who is a Garda) said that it's always worth checking out what these scumbags might have dropped in the garden - he's found id cards, dole cards all sorts of stuff. Not the brightest of people it would appear....

Borzoi

Originally posted by shabbyroad
.

That 'sticky stuff' isn't available in Atlantic; apparently B&Q stock it so I'm going to take a look there.

If your near Dublin city centre try MRCB on the corner of Thomas ST and Winetavern St. It's one of the most comprehensive stockists of painting material

TomTom

We had problem with prowlers years ago, installed the light and stuff but that did not deter him that much and the dog is too playfull to be of much use.
Tried placing some stuff that you would easily knock over and make a lot of noise if you were lurking in dark spots and did not see them. It worked as I was often up and heard the things fall and see the shaddow of someone leggin it.
Reported every incident to the guards, found out it was only happening to a few houses in my area and he was caught by a few guys out hunting at night in the end.

cctv cameras hooked up to vcr on economy play does the job also, those time lapse often don't get them at the moment you want.

DriftingRain

I agree with the lights....

For a little humor you could always get a sign to poke in the ground that said "This Property is Gaurded by Smith and Wesson"

HEHEHEHE Good Luck!

Capt'n Midnight

Always makes me laughs when I hear about the neighbours in the UK talking about their having amongst the strictist gun laws in the world - when the closest country to them has more less banned privately owned handguns since about 1922..

Thorn bushes - Pyracanta (SP) makes a nice tree to put in the corner.. - and my old favorite - cattle fence ~400V - shocking

Anyway the US stats show that guns are more likely stolen than anything else (next is accidental shooting)

Depending on where you are - you could have a sign about "uncovered cess pit" - or maybe just get a pond on the likely route.

slave1

a dog

bug

electrify the gate?
I would.
get a dog, black labrador if your not too keen on dobermen etc..
In the dark a black dog looks as vicious as hell.
We've always had a dog and have never been broken into.
Only one instance of a guy in our back yard one nite and the dog tore strips off him...it was funny.

You can get CCTV hooked up to your television we have, I dont quite know how it works as my brother set it up. I think its a transmitter. Get a light conected to a motion sensor which comes on anytime anyone enters the garden as well as a camera in the front with the light.

Its handy as well as you can flick on the tele and see if you want to answer the door or not too I dont think its too expensive I can find out for you....

('what has he got to protect in there?' type thinking)

not if the camera is small enough and well concealed in some housing

Victor

Originally posted by bug
electrify the gate? I would.

Not only is this dangerous - small kids coming around looking for thier ball or paramedics trying to get to soemone, it is also very illegal, it is the premeditation of hurting someone.

bug

Not only is this dangerous - small kids coming around looking for thier ball or paramedics trying to get to soemone, it is also very illegal, it is the premeditation of hurting someone.

I wasn't really serious about that bit victor I thought it would be obvious.... I dont tend to use smilies all that often but just for you ..now better?

I must look up the law on this actually and come back..
see if its the same for private residences and for instance a public house...like the one down the road from me has an electric fence surrounding a twelve foot extension, they have signage...but I dont know what the liability is...

Victor

Originally posted by bug
I wasn't really serious victor about that bit victor I thought it would be obvious.... I dont tend to use smilies all that often but just for you ..now better?

Just putting it in for the stupidest 10% of society

slave1

electric gate
wouldn't conside it illegal
premediation can only occur if you know the assailant is on your premises
key in the eyes of the law is do you know you have an intruder
if you do, you cant really harm him but you can always protect yourself
we had the case a couple of years ago where the guy in Dublin let off a shotgun as intruders were fleeing his house
he saw them running off and let the shot off in the other direction
went inside, done deal
got up the next day and a dead body on the lawn
he got away with it because he did not know yer man was there
no premeditation
there's no premediation in putting up barb wire or broken glass on top of your wall, perfectly legal, you don't even have to put up a warning sign
take a stroll across any horse field in the country and you'll find electrified wires everywhere
burn em

Borzoi

Originally posted by slave1
there's no premediation in putting up barb wire or broken glass on top of your wall, perfectly legal, you don't even have to put up a warning sign

This all depends, say for example the broken glass is on top of a 4ft wall, that a passing stranger could put his hand on casually, you'll be before the courts.

But if the same glass was on top of a 12ft wall that no one could access, you should be okay.

Owners have a 'duty of care' on their properties that extends even to tresspassers because most tresspasser are in fact the neighbours, the kids down the road, the postman etc.

Victor

Originally posted by slave1
electric gate wouldn't conside it illegal

You would have to put up signs to warn people (otherwise you would be negligent and therefore responsible) and have it out of reach. Barbed wire can be seen, electricity cant.

shabbyroad

thought the contributors to this thread would be interested in hearing that one of our neighbours was broken into a few weeks ago.

Looks like my suspicions were well founded. According to the Gardai cars are being stolen to order by a gang in west-Dublin. The modus operandi is that these scumbags scope the houses (on cycles !) noting when folks go to bed and when they come & go. They then enter the house via the kitchen window, carefully removing the entire pane of glass !
Fortunately for my neighbour they were disturbed by one of the kids who woke up looking for a drink.

How bad is it ? We now take our carkeys and hide them in the bedroom - that was the advice of the Gardai !

Realise now that they might have been scoping out my place as I have a Merc. parked out front. Bastards.

Lex Luthor

Confront the ba$tards. We had a van scoping up & down our road a few years ago when a few burglaries were happening in the area. Get a few of the men in the estate to gang together and stop them and ask them whet they are up to. We blocked their way out of the estate and asked them what was their business. Get a good look at them and tell them to pi$$ off. If they know you are wary of them they will be less likely to try a break in. Obviously, get all the lights & stuff installed. No harm to give the local Gardai a buzz and let them know whats going on.

Lex Luthor

Originally posted by shabbyroad


Realise now that they might have been scoping out my place as I have a Merc. parked out front. Bastards.

Get one of those security bars that you put in your drive in front of the car. About €200 but a great deterrent. Also a good quality steering lock. I know if they get the keys to the car, most likely the keys for the locks will be on the padlock, so I would double up on all shock sensors on the easy access windows. If you're any way electrically minded its a DIY job.

woolymammoth

Originally posted by Lex Luthor
Confront the ba$tards...
Get a good look at them and tell them to pi$$ off....

..and shove a camera in their face. take a snap of the plates too.

Wolfie

Anyone tried calling the gardai when the recon cyclists were on patrol? You know, thats why we pay our taxes and all that?? If the cops interrogate them and tell them to sling their hook a couple of times, they oughtta move on to another estate. Crime, it pisses me off sometimes.

shabbyroad

I called the Gardai that night and explained. They were here in less than 10 minutes in an unmarked car. I thought they were taking it very seriously - meaning I was a bit taken aback that they really wanted to find this little scumbag. Now having found out more about what has been going on I understand their level of interest !

It just proves that you never know what information you have that might be of special interest to the Gardai - it was a couple of detectives that came that night. Seems that they have been trying to nail this particular gang for a while.

Since installing the padlocks and scarestrip there's been no further visits into our garden. And since I stood outside at each neighbours house in turn pointing at the little sh1ts saying nice and loudly "there he is again... it's ok though 'cos I've got his picture" they haven't been back... only the once though... to have a go at my neighbours new BMW... little fe<kers.