Someone broke into our garden

[redkitty]

And our garage, stole my husbands mountain bike. I know its not a big deal, the bike can be replaced. I have other stuff stored in the garage, but I guess they wanted something easy to sell.

I had just gotten up, got dressed for yoga and came downstairs to open the curtains. Noticed the back gate open, which I just caught Raisin before she used the dog door to get out. She would have walked right out the back gate. I feel so violated and upset. Maybe the UK doesn't have as much gun crime as the US, but they sure do have a high rate of theft and knife crime. I felt safter living in San Francisco than I do here. This is the SECOND time someone broke into our garden. The first time I heard him, we called police and someone caught him in the alley.

I wanna go home.
Thanks for listening...

 

[attie]

Not good, we work to pay for what we have, then someone who has no respect for anothers property comes and steals it, realy gets to me.

A person was caught red handed smashing windows at our shop, $2000 damage. He was taken away but not charged so we couldn't claim damages from him because he wasn't taking his medication and therefore deemed not responsible for his own actions.

 

[licia]

I know exactly how you feel. Someone broke into the farmhouse the night before we got there and took our brand new microwave/convection oven. We hadn't even learned to use it without the book yet. We had deadbolt locks on all the doors, so they could only take things they could take thru the windows. They also took an antique telephone that had belonged to our grandparents in the early 1900's. There were several things missing, but those were the most important.

 

[middie]

Aw Red. I'm sorry. That's terrible. Someone broke into my car while I was at work, so I can relate to how you feel.

 

[Snoop Puss]

Redkitty, sorry to hear your news. My parents live in Bristol too and I get the impression that garden sheds are especially vulnerable there. My parents don't keep anything of value in theirs anymore. If you have an alley, I'm afraid it will be all too easy for thieves to sneak in and then make their getaway. Unfortunately, repeat burglaries are not unusual, as the thieves assume you will get insurance money to replace what they took, meaning that in two or three months they'll be back again. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

You might have a local neighbourhood watch scheme you could join. And even though the police are hardly ever able to find the person after the event, you might find that your local police station will have an officer who gives advice. A friend of mine had an officer come round to her home and give some really useful information on preventive measures.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Uncle Bob send many braves with many arrows...guard Miss Kitty's Tepee.
Braves scalp bad guys!!!!

Sorry Miss Kitty...It's gives one a creepy feeling when something like that happens...makes you feel vulnarable and that is not a good feeliing.

You come home now to San Francisco!!

"I left my heart in San Francisco......

{{{{{{Miss Kitty}}}}}}}

 

[YT2095]

I have an Invention that would help you no end!
I`ve made one myself and used it, that case went to court as the perps where arrested as a result, and this device got plenty of praise from not only the Police but the Magistrates also!

When my other site is back up and running again, I`ll cut and paste the details of my invention into here (it would take too long to type out right now).

and don`t fear excess complexity, it really is Very simple, but you will need someone handy with a soldering iron

 

[redkitty]

Thanks so much everyone for the replies. UncleB, your post made me cry....in a good way though! I gonna go smoke out of my peace pipe now to relax!!!

YT, please do let me know about your invention. I have the "someone handy" and we can borrow a soldering iron.

I'm just so p'd off and annoyed, I know it was the same bunch of chavs who do this all the time in our area. Last year there was a break in down the road and they stole boxes of photos. Obviously not worth anything, but the woman they stole from begged for them back. They were pictures of her first child who died years before. Really sad and so unnecessary.

SnoopPuss, its not a garden shed, it was our actual garage the broke open.

We have a third bedroom and we are moving some of my boxes up there. Its all stuff I shipped over when I moved here, childhood items etc. All stuff that cannot be replaced. Ill feel safer with it inside the house.

Anyhow, thanks again for all the replies. Enjoy your Sunday.

 

[sparrowgrass]

So sorry--what a lousy thing to have happen.

Install some motion detection lights. They are inexpensive, but would probably deter any bad guys.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Aw...Miss Kitty...I was wanting to make you smile...

Tell you what...remember the "joke" I sent ya???
Think about that one!!! He Heeeeeee

Be careful smokin peace pipe..Strong medicine...make you see double maybe even triple

{{{Miss Kitty}}}

 

[YT2095]

just quickly, what you`ll need will be an old mobile fone, the sort that doesn`t power off if left for a few mins, and you want this fone on the Vodafone Pay as you talk Smart price plan.
that way you can top the thing up with a fiver and leave it in there forever until you make a call.

next you give this fone to the Handy person with the solding iron, they take the fone apart to expose the keypad, the SEND button on the fone is the one you`re interested in!
the keypad is a rubber membrane, cut the send key section out push 2 wires through that new hole and solder them onto the 2 contacts that were under that send key, and then put the fone back together.

you want to put a little Micro switch to the end of these 2 wires, so when the switch is pressed, it now acts as the Send key (in effect you`ve just extended the key).

mount this to the garage door in such a way that when it`s closed the switch isn`t pressed, but gets pressed as soon as it opens a little.

now type in Your Personal mobile fone, make an entry in there called Garage, and put the number of your modified fone in there.

in the modified fone put in your mobile number ready to dial, then just wait for a burglar, as soon as the door opens a fraction that fone gets SEND pressed and dials you
on Your fone you see "GARAGE" show up

now dial 999 and tell then that you`re Currently being broken into


that`s the bare bones basics of it

 

[jkath]

that's brilliant, YT! Absolutely brilliant!

 

[YT2095]

well my 1`st trial of this resulted in an arrest and conviction (and I got the goods back they stole), it helped that I was at home at the time, so I answered my "SHED" and could hear all the little ba$tards were saying, Including Names
on the Other ear I`de got the landline with the Police on the other end
I should mention that While your handy person is inside the phone, disconnect the earpeice in it (you don`t want them to hear you on the other end!).

Yes this idea WAS perfectly Patentable, only I couldn`t afford the lawyers and the costs, and meanwhile folks were getting ripped off!

so I`ve made it Public Domain now, No One can patent it anymore, I`m more concerned with citizens fighting back than getting Money for it, it`s great for cars and alsorts, all you need to do is keep the charger in the fone so the batts can never go flat (I used a Car batt in my shed).

a simple Key Switch mounted will preclude any entry/exit dialings too.
it`s Far superior to a noisey Alarm as well, you could be out shopping or at a resteraunt and be alerted, meanwhile they`re in the act and feeling secure ))

 

[Half Baked]

Folks here point their movie cameras focused on the area that is most likely to be broken into. If something goes missing, you have the perp (I watch too many crime shows ) on tape and it makes it very easy for the police.

YT, brilliant!!!

 

[shpj4]

Sorry to hear about your loss. At least the thief was in the garage and not in your house.

 

[redkitty]

Thanks YT, Ill have my boy check into that.

And yes shipj4, glad they were not in the house!!

Policeman came by yesterday afternoon and reassured me its just kids doing this. He took our details about the bike and stayed chatting for about an hour. He's the beat cop for our area and was very informative about the low crime overall.

Landlord is fixing a big lock to the back gate and replacing the lock on the garage. We are also putting up some barbedwire across the gate to prevent them from hopping it.

I couldnt help buy get up this morning and look out back thinking the gate would be open again. Sigh. I hate that unsafe feeling. This happened to us last summer and it took me a few weeks to get over it. I'm sure it will go away again... Thanks again everyone for the kind words..

 

[Snoop Puss]

If it's kids, you might even find one of those "beware, dangerous dog" type signs might help as a deterrent.

 

[YT2095]

the above accompanied with: QKits Electronic Kits: FK207, Dog Barking Voice Kit
to add a little authenticity

 

[lulu]

YT: ever thought of going into security as a side line? Redkitty: theft is a huge problem, two years ago we were broken into. We live about, I don't know, 30 miles ish south of Bristol, WE WERE ALL IN THE HOUSE, including the dogs...big dogs. It must have happened between 3 oclock, wen we were up until, and 5 oclock when I got up to let the chickens out: but usually we would have been in bed earlier. They spent time too....they came in to the house and took my car keys, unliocked the car and spent time going through my filofax opening mail. Weirdly they took practically nothing: a bank card which they tried to withdrawer money from 3 Bristol ATMs but had not got a pin number and a mobile phone. yet they had access to all our vlaubles and the cars to drive them away in. It was extreemly scary to thinkwe and our usually very alert dogs had been sleeping about six feet away from where they must have come to to pick up my car keys.

Seriously YT, I would PAY to have someone install a security device like that fittedd for me.

 

[corazon]

Oh red, I'm sorry. I hate feeling so violated! Good call on the lock for your gate. Was it an expensive mountain bike? Oh, it just gives me the creeps!

A few years ago someone walked into our house while we were sleeping. I was still awake and dh woke up so disoreinted. The guy ran out as soon as he heard my husband. Lucky for our landlord that we were there, he made furniture downstairs and had some very expensive tools! After that I was soo spooked. Most of the nights that dh was working I spent at my mom's house. Or I'd fall asleep on the couch with all the lights on. We were also considering getting a dog before this happened and the decision was made quick after we got broken in to.