Fear of being robbed

LegacyUser

Okay so my big concern is of being robbed during the night

A few months ago a thug broke our windows while we were away, and ever since then I haven't always felt 100% safe going to sleep. Lying in bed, I jump sometimes if I hear a noise outside, or even the sound of the fridge fan kicking in. I've started keeping a knife in my locker just in case, and if I hear odd noises I'll sometimes bring it with me going to the bathroom.

There were a few houses robbed nearby a few weeks ago which didn't help. Our house is fairly safe. It's on a main street which means lots of people pass it but it also means the front is well-lit, while the back is nigh-on impossible to break into. But I still worry about it.

Tonight, I heard the same car passing up and down the road, and instead of going to bed early like I was planning on, I kept the light on and stayed up, for fear they were waiting for the light to go off and break in.

I'm not like this during the day, but some nights I get really worried that it could happen. And it has nothing to do with having an alarm or not, it has to do with someone breaking in and moving about while we're all sleeping

I don't know what to think, do you think I'm just being paranoid or realistic? Any advice on what I should do?

Forest Master

Slightly paranoid, but it's understandable after being broken into.

Do you have an alarm? What about CCTV?

curlzy

Hey OP,

I was mugged at knife-point a few years ago and to this day I hate knives. Anything other than a butter knife makes me shaky and upset, which is a bit of a pain but it's understandable I think. Like if I'm camping and people have proper knives I find myself unable to think of anything else and feeling generally under treat. A fright like you and I got leaves a lasting impression but you have to figure out a way to let it go, it took me a long to get over my fear of junkies (it was junky that robbed me) but it does get better. Like I couldn't even walk past one without flinching but I eventually got over it and I'm now able to view them with pity rather than fear. I would suggest you get an alarm or deadbolt for the door. Something that makes you feel secure. It's the pits that someone can affect like this because of their scummy selfish ways I know, but it does ease off after a while. If you find it's getting worse you could contact victim support, the gardai can give you the number and you could do a wee bit of councelling to help.

Best of luck.

CorkMan

You say a couple of nearby houses got broken into recently. If you don't have an alarm definitely get one, and if you want to double bolt your door. I would also suggest a baseball bat rather than a knife.

I live in a fairly secure non-scummy area, but a couple of months ago somebody tried to break in a couple of doors down but they were heard outside. I have an alarm even though no-one was broken into in recent memory.

Remember if they can't get through the door they would have to break the windows, and that would wake you up straight away. I am not sure if I am taking this too far, I don't want you to be over paranoid either, but with other houses being burgled that would definitely raise a bit of tension in me.

curlzy

Just remembered something I heard from the police, if you have a weapon then that's the thing you're most likely to be attacked with. Like that weapon can be taken off you and used against you and in alot of cases it is because normal people have a natural aversion to violence but scum that break into your house tend to be violently inclined and in much more likely headspace to do violence. Most normal people will hesitate from stabbing someone, wereas scum won't hesitate. So yeah get a baseball bat, getting knocked out is slightly better than getting stabbed.

johnboysligo

curlzy wrote: »

So yeah get a baseball bat, getting knocked out is slightly better than getting stabbed.

I think a lot of women would be equally afraid of being rapped while unconscious.

OP get an alarm and double glazing if you can afford it, most thief's and burglars are turned off by double glazing because instead of one noisy window to break they now have two.
Its all about risk vs reward if your doors and your windows are easy to get though and hidden enough that a member of the public can't see some scanger messing with it than you are asking to be robbed blind.

also getting curtains or blinds in your front and back windows will help. If the burglar can see your car keys / phone / laptop lying out on the coffee table he will have no problems going though a pane of glass to snatch it.

if you rent your house you could ask your landlord to beef up the security and if he/she starts on about cost you could make an offer like X amount extra per month to cover the costs until its repaid or your lease is up.

also on the garda website there is a list of crime prevention officers http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?page=190speak talk with that person, ask for advice.

killerking

First of all you should get in contact with the Gardai and Victim Support who do great work helping people who are victims of crimes.
Also you should take up martial arts - Krav Maga is an easy to learn Israeli self-defence system (every adult Israeli serves in the defense forces so they learn this simple discipline) and there are a number of trainers who give affordable courses in Ireland. It doesn't matter if you are not particularly athletic or young or old or man or woman or child because anyone can master it quickly.
Basically if you know how to defend yourself in a hostile situation you will feel a whole lot more confident and be able to sleep at night.
Your house might be robbed again but if you are able to handle yourself (once you know property can be replaced so don't try being Rambo or anything) but if you are fearful of being physically attacked you will have less fear and feel more in control.

Zen65

FearOfRobbery wrote: »

I've started keeping a knife in my locker just in case, and if I hear odd noises I'll sometimes bring it with me going to the bathroom.

Op, this is a terrible idea. Unless you are trained to use a knife for combat you should avoid having one on you in a hostile situation.

You are being a little paranoid. If you are concerned about the house being broken into (which is very reasonable) then invest in a little home security:

1. Have a couple of external floodlights fitted with PIR motion detectors - this is a great deterrent. You can buy PIR floodlights for under €50, so this is not a huge investment. Fit one at the front of the house, and one at the rear.

2. Get an alarm fitted to your doors and windows. The cost of alarms is falling all the time.

3. Keep a torch and mobile phone by your bed, not a weapon. You could also keep a personal alarm at your bedside also, as these would wake everyone in the house if you activated it. You can buy personal alarms very cheaply (Heatons were selling them off @ 2 for €1) so ask everyone in the house to have one at their bedside.


Be at peace,

Z