Stolen Shotgun

[VicW]

When attending our burglary some years ago the policemen advised us to get an alarm fitted from the proceeds of the insurance claim which we did. My guns were in a cabinet in a wardrobe behind clothing and were untouched. They also said that one of the best defences against burglary was careless neighbours. A couple of times afterwards my SGC was renewed without a house visit but I was asked if the alarm was still working and in use.

Vic.

 

[Les53]

When attending our burglary some years ago the policemen advised us to get an alarm fitted from the proceeds of the insurance claim which we did. My guns were in a cabinet in a wardrobe behind clothing and were untouched. They also said that one of the best defences against burglary was careless neighbours. A couple of times afterwards my SGC was renewed without a house visit but I was asked if the alarm was still working and in use.

Vic.

I have an alarm, never been used. Nobody around here takes notice of them when they go off, except to moan about the noise! Police told me I have the best deterrent, a small yapping dog that barks at anything!  Apparently if I did set the alarm the dog could possibly set it off, not sure if it’s true though.

 

[ColinD]

Well if the alarms set and the dogs in a room with a PIR sensor then it would go off, if you mean the dog barking then I doubt it would set the alarm off  unless you have noise sensors also

 

[Les53]

Well if the alarms set and the dogs in a room with a PIR sensor then it would go off, if you mean the dog barking then I doubt it would set the alarm off  unless you have noise sensors also

We have noise and pir sensors all over the house, the dog is also all over the house!

 

[westley]

I have an alarm, never been used. Nobody around here takes notice of them when they go off, except to moan about the noise! Police told me I have the best deterrent, a small yapping dog that barks at anything!  Apparently if I did set the alarm the dog could possibly set it off, not sure if it’s true though.

Partially, but the system that I have concentrates on keeping them out in the first place. As it is a bungalow, all of my windows are ground floor. The only passive (PIR) that I have is in the lounge, which is on the front of the premises and the window is clearly visible from the road. All of the remaining windows and doors are protected by Viper shock detectors (I am sure there are other makes too). These have a constant flashing red l.e.d. which is, in itself, a deterrent. Any attempt to force windows or doors will result in the alarm being triggered. I had a similar system on my previous house for around 12 years, and on my current home, for some 6 years. In that time,  I have had 3 false activations. Each of these were caused by birds flying into patio doors or a window. They have all been in the spring, so I presumed they were young birds. In each case I could see the grey outline of what appeared to be pigeon sized birds on the glass. I solved this by hanging some plastic butterfly things on fishing line in those windows/doors around springtime. If I had a dog in the house, it could move about the house undetected by the alarm, apart from my lounge. This system was no more expensive than a decent PIR system. Buy a cheap alarm and you WILL have problems, but do not be reliant on the neighbours reacting to it anyway. My system rings my mobile, when activated, followed by my 2 Daughters mobiles until it gets an answer. Whoever gets the call first reacts to it in some way.  

 

[ColinD]

Then youv'e answered you own question then

 

[Nimbusgb]

Having spent a number of years involved with Crime Prevention it never ceased to amaze me that people were reluctant to spend around £500/£600 on an alarm to protect their home whilst they were away on their £5000 holiday  ??       

And an alarm does what exactly? A box on the wall is as much a deterrent as a full alarm system. Few people respond to an alarm, a response service costs a lot more than £500 and someone who is determined to have your firearms/SG will get them anyway ...... perhaps by home invasion style acquisition. I'd rather have my home robbed while I was away thank you very much.

The early part of my career was in developing alarm systems both for cars and property in South Africa and I watched that industry change the nature of crime. Armed home invasions and armed car hijackings are the nature of things now. The exposure to risk to people is now far, far higher than it used to be in the 70's and 80's. You are highly likely to have a 9mm pistol shoved in your face while stopped at a traffic light or pulling in to a driveway than ever before. Car immobilisers there now have long range cutoffs so your car dies a kilometer or so away from the scene of a hijacking. That's if you are still alive and not lying in your driveway bleeding . You get the car back, or your surviving family does. You are very much more likely to have someone put an arm through a window, holding a grenade and demand that you open the doors. ( Yes I HAVE seen it happen ) Burglar bars and alarms have unintended consequences for society. The scum of society will still exist regardless and when everyone has an alarm they will just find a way around it. Home security is a megabuck industry involved in an ever spiralling and escalating 'war'.

I pay £3000 pounds a year for 'council tax' which includes a sizeable sum for local policing ( in fact I think there is an additional levy for that ) for which I get what? Security for opportunistic scumbags? 

I have a lot of sympathy for Sharia Law when it comes to theft of peoples belongings, firearms or not and their approach is NOT 3 months probation and a few counselling sessions. Rather than spend £500 on a better alarm I'd happily spend the money on a set of village stocks where errant scumbags can spend a week being pelted with fruit and eggs ( preferably in their tins and boxes ) . 

PS: I have an alarm but I consider it to be a complete waste of time and counter productive to society beyond making a scrote think 'I'll probably go next door' or 'I'll come back when they are home' 

Ok Rant over .... you get my drift I think.

 

[westley]

And an alarm does what exactly? A box on the wall is as much a deterrent as a full alarm system. Few people respond to an alarm, a response service costs a lot more than £500 and someone who is determined to have your firearms/SG will get them anyway ...... perhaps by home invasion style acquisition. I'd rather have my home robbed while I was away thank you very much.

The early part of my career was in developing alarm systems both for cars and property in South Africa and I watched that industry change the nature of crime. Armed home invasions and armed car hijackings are the nature of things now. The exposure to risk to people is now far, far higher than it used to be in the 70's and 80's. You are highly likely to have a 9mm pistol shoved in your face while stopped at a traffic light or pulling in to a driveway than ever before. Car immobilisers there now have long range cutoffs so your car dies a kilometer or so away from the scene of a hijacking. That's if you are still alive and not lying in your driveway bleeding . You get the car back, or your surviving family does. You are very much more likely to have someone put an arm through a window, holding a grenade and demand that you open the doors. ( Yes I HAVE seen it happen ) Burglar bars and alarms have unintended consequences for society. The scum of society will still exist regardless and when everyone has an alarm they will just find a way around it. Home security is a megabuck industry involved in an ever spiralling and escalating 'war'.

I pay £3000 pounds a year for 'council tax' which includes a sizeable sum for local policing ( in fact I think there is an additional levy for that ) for which I get what? Security for opportunistic scumbags? 

I have a lot of sympathy for Sharia Law when it comes to theft of peoples belongings, firearms or not and their approach is NOT 3 months probation and a few counselling sessions. Rather than spend £500 on a better alarm I'd happily spend the money on a set of village stocks where errant scumbags can spend a week being pelted with fruit and eggs ( preferably in their tins and boxes ) . 

PS: I have an alarm but I consider it to be a complete waste of time and counter productive to society beyond making a scrote think 'I'll probably go next door' or 'I'll come back when they are home' 

Ok Rant over .... you get my drift I think.

Not really, no.  What happens in South Africa is really of no concern to my security, or my way of life. None of our criminals have handguns because they are now illegal here    The levy on your Council Tax that goes towards Policing is probably spent on your local Crime Commissioner and their 8 or so Assistants. But the reality is that whilst very few custodial sentences are handed out, even for assaults on Police, the chances of your return to village stocks is highly unlikely.  How you consider your alarm is a complete waste of time because it makes a burglar go elsewhere, is maybe a contradiction of ideas  ?  IF it makes a burglar go to a house that does not have an alarm, then I believe it has done it's job  ?  Yes, there is a rising trend of attacks on homes when the occupants are in,  which often ends with firearms being taken, but they are thankfully still few and far between and often the target is NOT the firearms but high value jewelry and of course, cash. I have not known any burglars that hung around after an alarm was activated on domestic premises, except for extremely remote properties. I can only speak from personal experience, BUT, I doubt that you will "Get my drift".

 

[Les53]

Not really, no.  What happens in South Africa is really of no concern to my security, or my way of life. None of our criminals have handguns because they are now illegal here    The levy on your Council Tax that goes towards Policing is probably spent on your local Crime Commissioner and their 8 or so Assistants. But the reality is that whilst very few custodial sentences are handed out, even for assaults on Police, the chances of your return to village stocks is highly unlikely.  How you consider your alarm is a complete waste of time because it makes a burglar go elsewhere, is maybe a contradiction of ideas  ?  IF it makes a burglar go to a house that does not have an alarm, then I believe it has done it's job  ?  Yes, there is a rising trend of attacks on homes when the occupants are in,  which often ends with firearms being taken, but they are thankfully still few and far between and often the target is NOT the firearms but high value jewelry and of course, cash. I have not known any burglars that hung around after an alarm was activated on domestic premises, except for extremely remote properties. I can only speak from personal experience, BUT, I doubt that you will "Get my drift".

Yes Wes, my local firearms officer told me years ago that most burglars want in and out fast! They want stuff they can sell on quickly and remove easily. Breaking into gun safes is not the norm, especially as it could even be empty! 

 

[Nimbusgb]

Not really, no.  What happens in South Africa is really of no concern to my security, or my way of life. None of our criminals have handguns because they are now illegal here    The levy on your Council Tax that goes towards Policing is probably spent on your local Crime Commissioner and their 8 or so Assistants. But the reality is that whilst very few custodial sentences are handed out, even for assaults on Police, the chances of your return to village stocks is highly unlikely.  How you consider your alarm is a complete waste of time because it makes a burglar go elsewhere, is maybe a contradiction of ideas  ?  IF it makes a burglar go to a house that does not have an alarm, then I believe it has done it's job  ?  Yes, there is a rising trend of attacks on homes when the occupants are in,  which often ends with firearms being taken, but they are thankfully still few and far between and often the target is NOT the firearms but high value jewelry and of course, cash. I have not known any burglars that hung around after an alarm was activated on domestic premises, except for extremely remote properties. I can only speak from personal experience, BUT, I doubt that you will "Get my drift".

Oh, I get your drift. The 'I'm all right Jack' approach of making the criminal go to the neighbours!

You have confirmed my point. Home invasions on the rise driven by more burglar alarms being installed. What happened in South Africa is a lesson to be learned from, not ignored.

 

[westley]

Oh, I get your drift. The 'I'm all right Jack' approach of making the criminal go to the neighbours!

You have confirmed my point. Home invasions on the rise driven by more burglar alarms being installed. What happened in South Africa is a lesson to be learned from, not ignored.

In that case leave your gun cabinet on the front lawn...........................I'm sure the neighbours will just luuuv you  !

I am sorry, but if 'the neighbours' are stupid enough not to protect their own property, how can that possibly be a concern of mine  ??  I spent 30 years wiping the a**e of Joe Public, I thought that most were stupid then, I have yet to see anything to make me change my mind. Take the last weekend for example, or St. Patricks day as another  !

NOW do you er "get my drift"  ?