Neighbourhood Watch Merged Thread

athtrasna

Arciphel wrote: »

From facebook - Beechfield Residents Assocation

The advice we are giving our residents is make sure you set your house alarm and keep valuables out of sight and keep car keys off the hall table.

Would they prefer if the burglars tore through the house looking for keys? This is a no brainer, cars can be replaced.

nudger

athtrasna wrote: »

Would they prefer if the burglars tore through the house looking for keys? This is a no brainer, cars can be replaced.

Increase your house security, have pride in what you have worked hard for and protect it, if not just leave the keys in the ignition.

I happily spend money to make my family and home safe, sure insurance will cover things but hiding in the corner is not the way to go.

January

nudger wrote: »

Increase your house security, have pride in what you have worked hard for and protect it, if not just leave the keys in the ignition.

I happily spend money to make my family and home safe, sure insurance will cover things but hiding in the corner is not the way to go.

Yeah but neither is being woken up and threatened with a knife/screwdriver for your car keys.

nudger

January wrote: »

Yeah but neither is being woken up and threatened with a knife/screwdriver for your car keys.

So you take steps to prevent this, have an alarm and use it, lock internal doors, leave a few lights on, make your walls higher if there is access from the back, security lights, talk to your neighbours, get a dog, change your habits going to work etc, have a plan just incase, might sound over the top but it's not.

Get something to beat a knife/screwdriver, always put on clothes/shoes before going to check out a noise.

franksm

nudger wrote: »

So you take steps to prevent this, have an alarm and use it, lock internal doors, leave a few lights on, make your walls higher if there is access from the back, security lights, talk to your neighbours, get a dog, change your habits going to work etc, have a plan just incase, might sound over the top but it's not.

Get something to beat a knife/screwdriver, always put on clothes/shoes before going to check out a noise.

Totally agree. If you're not going to look after your own stuff, you shouldn't expect anyone else to. Make it as difficult as possible for scumbags.

Chattastrophe!

nudger wrote: »

So you take steps to prevent this, have an alarm and use it, lock internal doors, leave a few lights on, make your walls higher if there is access from the back, security lights, talk to your neighbours, get a dog, change your habits going to work etc, have a plan just incase, might sound over the top but it's not.

Get something to beat a knife/screwdriver, always put on clothes/shoes before going to check out a noise.

Certainly.

But if all this fails, and someone does somehow manage to get into your house, I'd much rather have the keys sitting on the hall table, so they can grab the car and go, than have them tearing the house apart or waking us up to get them from us.

Common sense applies too. I'd have the keys sitting on the hall table, but they're in no way visible from the outside!

(As my car was stolen the other day, it's not like this is really relevant to me anymore anyways. )

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I think a lot of these break ins are smash and grab style. They're not going to go rooting about upstairs for car keys and risk waking people up or being caught if they can just grab anything that's downstairs and move on to the next house.

CrazyRabbit

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

I think a lot of these break ins are smash and grab style. They're not going to go rooting about upstairs for car keys and risk waking people up or being caught if they can just grab anything that's downstairs and move on to the next house.

You underestimate just how brazen they are, or how little they care about the risk of being caught.

December2012

So you've two houses, same alarm etc. each has similar car, one has keys on hall table, the other had the keys in a place that can't be seen from outside - obviously the more visible is more likely to be robbed.

Chattastrophe!

December2012 wrote: »

So you've two houses, same alarm etc. each has similar car, one has keys on hall table, the other had the keys in a place that can't be seen from outside - obviously the more visible is more likely to be robbed.

If someone leaves their keys on the hall table when the hall table is visible from outside, that's just downright stupid.

athtrasna

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

If someone leaves their keys on the hall table when the hall table is visible from outside, that's just downright stupid.

I hang mine on a frame. Not visible from outside or through the letter box but easily identifiable in the hall.

It's not just knives and screwdrivers, there are a couple of posts in the depths of this thread which mention people waking up to find someone standing over them with a kettle of boiling water. Another poster said something about having something to beat knives and screwdrivers...that might be brave but not wise, but you can't defend against water at close to 100 degrees Celsius.

Chattastrophe!

athtrasna wrote: »

It's not just knives and screwdrivers, there are a couple of posts in the depths of this thread which mention people waking up to find someone standing over them with a kettle of boiling water. Another poster said something about having something to beat knives and screwdrivers...that might be brave but not wise, but you can't defend against water at close to 100 degrees Celsius.

Exactly. It mightn't be common, but it has happened.

We have a newborn baby in a moses basket in our bedroom. They can take whatever they want from downstairs, and I would be happy to leave my keys out so that the car could be taken too, if it would stop some scumbag from landing into our bedroom with a knife, screwdriver, boiling water, whatever, around the tiny baby.

wildlifeboy

athtrasna wrote: »

I hang mine on a frame. Not visible from outside or through the letter box but easily identifiable in the hall.

It's not just knives and screwdrivers, there are a couple of posts in the depths of this thread which mention people waking up to find someone standing over them with a kettle of boiling water. Another poster said something about having something to beat knives and screwdrivers...that might be brave but not wise, but you can't defend against water at close to 100 degrees Celsius.

I think a burglar who is willing to make me a cuppa is a nice sentiment.

horse7

Chattastrophe! wrote: »

'Twas Stockton Green. And no sign of it yet.



Jesus that's just awful. :mad:

how did they manage to rob it?

Dravokivich

horse7 wrote: »

how did they manage to rob it?

It was only a basic Yaris. Wouldn't expect it'll take much more than shoving something against the catch for the lock.

horse7

i thought they had immoblisers.

Chattastrophe!

horse7 wrote: »

i thought they had immoblisers.

It's a '04 one, would that have an immobiliser?

It was definitely locked, and they don't have the key, as I still have it.

For my own peace of mind, I drove and walked around every road and estate and carpark around Castleknock - it's definitely not just parked somewhere else. And it's definitely not been towed by council or Gardaí, I've checked.

canihave

The 2004 Yaris do have an immobiliser. I also live in Dublin 15 & 2 years ago we had a Yaris Van taken from outside our house. Our mechanic reakoned it couldnt have been hot wired as had an immobilisser. We have never heard anything on it since. You would need to keep everything in your pocket. Very annoying

Dravokivich

Well, it only had a basic key. Nothing for an immobiliser to challenge / accept a validation with.

Yours must have been an optional extra.

horse7

my bog standard 01 yaris has one, see
Immobilisers have been mandatory in all new cars sold in Germany since 1 January 1998, in the United Kingdom since 1 October 1998, in Finland since 1998, in Australia since 2001 and in Canada since 2007. Early models used a static code in the ignition key (or key fob) which was recognised by an RFID loop around the lock barrel and checked against the vehicle's engine control unit (ECU) for a match. If the code is unrecognised, the ECU will not allow fuel to flow and ignition to take place. Later models use rolling codes or advanced cryptography to defeat copying of the code from the key or ECU.
The microcircuit inside the key is activated by a small electromagnetic field which induces current to flow inside the key body, which in turn broadcasts a unique binary code which is read by the automobile's ECU. When the ECU determines that the coded key is both current and valid, the ECU activates the fuel-injection sequence.

January

Oh jesus does it matter? The car was robbed, whether it had an immobilser or not. They've already said it's not with the Garda or council impound.

Chattastrophe!

The guards said that cars are often put on trucks and driven away these days anyways by the f*ckers, rather than broken into. I guess because of the immobilisers and whatever else. They said it can be done in minutes. They reckon it's gone for parts, and seeing as it hasn't turned up after a week now, I don't think it's going to.

The thing is, there were workmen installing water meters on the same street at the time (but further down) and didn't see a thing! The guy I was talking to on the day even drove around the couple of blocks in the area, and nothing. I rang the water meter people (again) yesterday, just in case they'd know anything, but no.

nikpmup

My car was recovered after ten days and my boyfriends was recovered after about three weeks, so it may turn up yet Chattastrophe. Regarding leaving keys downstairs - absolutely. They can take my car, I will not have a scumbag come up the stairs to threaten me. I take reasonable precautions, door locked, alarm on etc, but I refuse to live my life in fear, double and triple checking security. It's just stuff, and it's replaceable. My aunt woke up to a scumbag with a screwdriver to her throat once - no thanks.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I'm not saying anyone is right or wrong here and ultimately it's down to whatever makes you feel safer but most of you seem to be operating under the impression that thieves break into your house to steal your car? Obviously I can't speak for these scumbags but I would have thought they were breaking into your house to get whatever they could get their hands on, if your keys are lying on the hall table they'll take them. Like I said though, whatever helps you sleep at night.

horse7

do u want to put the reg up on boards or pm me to keep a look out 4 the car?

Chattastrophe!

horse7 wrote: »

do u want to put the reg up on boards or pm me to keep a look out 4 the car?

Think himself put it up a few posts back ... its a silver Yaris, 04SO209. Thanks.

horse7

will stick a post it on my windscreen with ur reg,cheers.

bigblackmug

That registration number belongs to a blue Yaris, not silver. source: motorcheck.ie

Dravokivich

bigblackmug wrote: »

That registration number belongs to a blue Yaris, not silver. source: motorcheck.ie

Its a very light blue, which can look silvery.

Chattastrophe!

This is the colour

http://m.carzone.ie/used-cars/Toyota-Yaris-TERRA-M-C-5DR-51/713243725915570

It's blue according to the log book alright, I always thought it looked silver rather than blue though ... maybe it just wasn't washed very often!!