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Holiday weekend in Chile, and we got robbed when we were out of town. We had someone who would check our house a few times day, turn lights on at night, and all that jazz. We got lucky and thief made off with very little. A new sewing machine, a purse and they threw some perfumes in it. They missed other electronic devices around the house, including multiple metal detectors. We're considering this an inexpensive security lesson, considering they could have emptied the house. We won't let this happen again. Petty theft is huge here. It's been about 16 years since the last time someone broke into this house, but theft is up in our neighborhoods, and we expect that we'll get hit again. We've got a big old safe which it takes like 2-3 people to move, but it's just in a closet, under a blanket. It only has important documents like birth certificates, passports, and hard drive backups of family photos. We'd prefer thieves not even know about the existence of this, since they're going to dream of ingots, gumballs, and/or the deed to a castle or something. We've got dogs, but those are just alarms for us when we're here. The thief got in the house through a kitchen window that is where our big mean dog sleeps, and we know our dog would have had to been right there. We're going to be welding spikes, like these, on the fence going around our house:  We're thinking of putting a fake wall in one of our closets, and using that to hide bigger stuff (like my metal detectors). I'm writing down serial numbers on all of the devices that we own. I don't know where we could hide the safe. It's really big. We're going to have a security company install some system that will at least alert us if someone opens a door or window. We're hoping to find something that doesn't require us to pay a monthly service, because the police told us that they are worthless here, and the companies won't actually follow through. We just need something so my wife can have peace of mind when I'm gone. I'll be traveling to the US soon for a trip, and tentatively planning on buying some Arlo cameras. Gadgets has a thread about home security, but I'm mostly interested in hearing creative solutions. Expensive security devices will only get stolen here.
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Sep 20, 2017 23:39
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 In all honesty your best bet is cameras and just hiding your valuables in an immobile safe.
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Sep 21, 2017 01:11
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My brother-in-law's suggestion was to electrify our window frames when we leave the house. Not the best idea when you've got a young child...
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Sep 21, 2017 01:25
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Did you advertise on social media that you were on your trip? That's a possible issue  I live in a place right now where everyone puts bars on their windows, has a lockable grill on the porch leading to their lockable front door. Every place looks like a prison. The one house that had a not sealed window got robbed. So, you could go full prison. They make some bars with pretty designs.
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Sep 21, 2017 03:11
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Is crime a big issue in Chile? I don't know how you'd stop someone from getting in short of building a huge wall with a metal gate. I don't think in Australia you can even use those spikes or electrify your windows without opening yourself up to all sorts of legal problems. Best bet would just to make it too hard to get things easily. Like keep all valuables in gun safes and whatnot. But even then, when places don't have stuff to steal I'd be worried about thieves trashing the place out of annoyance.
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Sep 21, 2017 03:12
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Juanito posted:My brother-in-law's suggestion was to electrify our window frames when we leave the house. Not the best idea when you've got a young child... I have no background in Chilean law, but most people in the United States would be prosecuted for electrifying things that shouldn't be electrified for the purposes of crime deterrence. The law doesn't like proactive intentional harm. If you happen to shoot someone as they're entering your home that's another story though...
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Sep 21, 2017 03:18
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N. Senada posted:Did you advertise on social media that you were on your trip? That's a possible issue I'd say 50% of the homes in our area have bars on windows. I hate it, and refuse to do it. It doesn't help that we've got a pretty big house, so it would be an enormous, expensive project that would make our house feel like a prison. Lord Windy posted:Is crime a big issue in Chile? We've already got a big wall, with metal gates. Most of the wall has a big thorny bush, we think they hopped over the big gate that would be for a car. No spikes on top of it.. The spikes are sold at all of the hardware stores, so I'm sure it's legal. I do think they finally banned people putting broken glass + cement on top of their walls, and you'll get in trouble if they figure out that you did that. One of our hermit neighbors has electrified lines at the top of his fences, but there are clear warning signs attached. Just seeing those lines + warning signs makes me imagine he's loaded. Yeah, having thieves trash our place, or set something on fire is a concern. We don't want to piss thieves off, just somehow manage to scare them off, and hopefully not have them steal the most valuable stuff we own.
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Sep 21, 2017 04:41
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Dudeabides posted:I have no background in Chilean law, but most people in the United States would be prosecuted for electrifying things that shouldn't be electrified for the purposes of crime deterrence. The law doesn't like proactive intentional harm. If you happen to shoot someone as they're entering your home that's another story though... Guns are very hard to get in Chile, whole lot of complicated hoops to jump through. At a recent neighborhood meeting, the local police representative did make it clear that if you shot someone, that you make sure that they were on your property, and if they managed to collapse outside of your property, that you pull them back in, before the police arrive. It was kind of crazy to hear. He also warned neighbors not to tape any beatings if they caught a thief, because that is how they could get in trouble. Police just have failed here. Thankfully they aren't really corrupt like other countries, but they are somewhat incompetent, and have slow response times. There is also a revolving door in courts, so thieves who get picked up red-handed, will often get released the very next day. This is why the officer was not discouraging violence. Anyways, we just have to figure out how to hide "the important stuff" from lovely thieves.
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Sep 21, 2017 04:46
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I am big fan of Scooby-doo-ifying your house with false walls, sincerely. Sounds like a fun thing to trick somebody with when family visits or something.
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Sep 21, 2017 05:07
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Plant thorn bushes underneath all ground floor windows. I don't know what species are indigenous to Chile, but that's a pretty common measure that homeowners take in the USA. Motion activated lights and camera systems are also common.
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Sep 21, 2017 10:24
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Juanito posted:I'd say 50% of the homes in our area have bars on windows. I hate it, and refuse to do it. It doesn't help that we've got a pretty big house, so it would be an enormous, expensive project that would make our house feel like a prison. You are a more attractive target that 50% of the houses in your area. I'd look into something for the obvious ground floor windows and they don't have to be prison-style bars. You could get something attractive that you use all the time, or something heavier that you only bolt into place when you are away. How did they get through the window? Did they break it or force it open? Window locks can be very effective if installed correctly and you can get security film that makes it harder to smash the glass. Obvious comedy answer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddXUQu9RC4U
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Sep 21, 2017 11:00
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Sole.Sushi posted:Plant thorn bushes underneath all ground floor windows. This, bars on the windows can trap people inside if the entrance room catches fire. Thorn bushes suck to land on if someone has to jump out but is way less bad then burning to death because the window that was supposed to be emergency egress now isn't.
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Sep 21, 2017 22:44
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Juanito posted:I'd say 50% of the homes in our area have bars on windows. I hate it, and refuse to do it. It doesn't help that we've got a pretty big house, so it would be an enormous, expensive project that would make our house feel like a prison.
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Sep 22, 2017 02:27
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Glue broken glass to the top of all of your fences, and then have rings of razor wire on top of that. It's what everyone in South Africa and Sierra Leone does, and it works wonders.
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Sep 23, 2017 13:47
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I secure my house by living in a quiet, white, upper middle-class neighborhood, and by having a house that is slightly shittier than my neighbors.
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Sep 23, 2017 14:35
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Dudeabides posted:In all honesty your best bet is cameras and just hiding your valuables in an immobile safe. What good are cameras? You can capture your poo poo getting stolen? The police aren't going to find the thieves and even if they do your things will already be gone. You have some people here with cameras on their piece of poo poo rowhouse and it just looks ridiculous. No one wants to steal your $500 TV or your microwave.
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Sep 23, 2017 16:46
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Womens Jeans posted:Glue broken glass to the top of all of your fences, and then have rings of razor wire on top of that. It's what everyone in South Africa and Sierra Leone does, and it works wonders. NihilismNow posted:What good are cameras? You can capture your poo poo getting stolen? The police aren't going to find the thieves and even if they do your things will already be gone.
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Sep 23, 2017 23:15
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Criminals go for easy targets. What you need to do is just make your house less attractive than your neighbor's unless there is a specific, targeted threat to you or one of your residence's inhabitants. If this is the case, address and mitigate why they are a threat or move very far away. Motion sensor lights not just on well-trafficked areas, but also covering the dead space not easily visible from doors or windows. Criminals will try to exploit dead space to gain access to other areas. Consider getting hardened external doors, same for your master bedroom. Any door that takes a significant amount of time to get through is a problem well avoided by a good burglar. Grills on windows/doors readily accessible from the ground. You don't necessarily need to put thorn bushes underneath windows, but some kind of bush will act as a deterrent as a burglar would make noise getting through it. If grills aren't your thing from an aesthetics point of view, consider shatter-resistant film on windows and especially on windows above door handles. Alternately, consider doors that lock with a key from both the inside or outside. This will mitigate someone breaking a window pane to access a lock or handle. If you're like 99% of the world's population, you follow easily predictable patterns as to when you leave home and return. A competent criminal or team of them can observe and exploit this. Consider switching up your routines. When you go on vacation, consider using lights set to go off at random intervals, or have your house sitter come by at random times. Keeping and scanning receipts of major purchases is a good idea. Keep copies in multiple locations. This will not only help with insurance claims, but can also help with police tracking the sale of stolen goods. Don't buy a firearm for the purpose of home defense unless you are absolutely 100% committed to its safe storage and proper usage. Make sure all occupants understand in what condition it is stored and how to render it safe. Also designate a defendable "safe haven" that they can fall back to for defensive purposes if another break-in occurs and they are at home. This would most likely be your master bedroom. If a break-in occurs while you or others are at home, that safe haven is where all occupants should congregate and wait for the authorities to arrive. Don't think about clearing your residence or otherwise searching for the burglars- instead, be prepared to defend your safe haven as an absolute last resort if they attempt to breach it. If they attempt to get into your safe haven, shoot until the assistant is no longer a threat. This may mean taking one or more lives, and if you can't contemplate this, don't buy a gun for home defense. I own a gun, but I would rather be robbed to the clothes on my back than kill someone.
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Sep 24, 2017 02:03
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suboptimal posted:If you're like 99% of the world's population, you follow easily predictable patterns as to when you leave home and return. A competent criminal or team of them can observe and exploit this. Consider switching up your routines. When you go on vacation, consider using lights set to go off at random intervals, or have your house sitter come by at random times. This is good advice. I see people leave their lights on all the time when they go on vacation. You know what lights on from dawn to dusk screams? There is nobody home, and the property is already well illuminated so you don't need to stumble around with a flashlight! Motion detector lights, timers, or a trusted house sitter are your best bets. I've also heard great things about motion detected flash cameras. Not only is it a surprise/shock, it also let's the intruder instantly know they've been made.
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Sep 26, 2017 14:34
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Juanito posted:Neighbors have razor wire, it looks like crap. You don't want razor wire or windows bars because you don't like the look but someone broke into your house while you were home. You care more about curb appeal than the safety of your home? Why be subtle in such a high crime area?
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Sep 27, 2017 23:30
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Hi, I live in shithole small town northern Ontario, in an expensive house with lots of expensive motorcycles and atvs and guns and stuff, so this is something that I've had to tackle as well because my perceived affluence is way beyond most of the community. Given its a not very urban environment it's pretty unrealistic for me to have heavy duty wrought iron fencing like you do, especially with the freaking pile of trees floating around. In my case, the primary defenses are cameras and glass break alarms, with the cameras along the long driveways hidden in the trees so I can catch license plates (hopefully, since everyone drives) as well I've got a "safe room" in the interior of the home that also has locked doors and cameras inside with a large safe that has the guns, keys for the motorsports toys, and expensive irreplaceable jewelry. I'm not really concerned about like, the TV and poo poo since things can be replaced, but the big expensive purchases and the sentimental/public safety stuff is concerning so I just have a space where I can sort of additionally secure it, and force people to walk past cameras to get to it, to aid in prosecution.
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Sep 28, 2017 04:50
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Have you been targeted before in this house?
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Sep 28, 2017 13:39
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I have found that in a high crime area it is best to look batshit crazy. If you stick the head of a pig in your yard on a broken broomstick and leave it to rot, people will go nowhere near your house. You dont even have to lock your doors.
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Sep 28, 2017 17:39
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I live just on the cusp of "the hood". And my city is known for its "hood." I was robbed once in a Home Depot Parking lot by a older guy who would wear a blazer and slacks, get close and pull a revolver. Fairly brazen crime. Wherever he is, I hope he gets rear end cancer or his head stomped in. My neighborhood has had an uptick in daytime break-ins: just opportunistic burglaries by pieces of poo poo, using open windows, unlocked doors, etc. Other than locking up, I don't think there is anything I can do about this concern other than sit at home all day with the Glock loaded. My main worry about security? They'll kick a door in or something and gently caress with my cat, or my cat will get out some way. I can let possessions slide but it would just break my heart if my little dude got hosed with. UGH. Really need to move!
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Sep 28, 2017 20:39
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N. Senada posted:Have you been targeted before in this house? Yes, power tools out of the garage, and two dirt bikes stolen.
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Sep 29, 2017 04:22
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Pokey bushes under windows are the bane of window installers as well. I know this firsthand. If I ever do it on the side I'm charging more. A security system that goes beep beep when a door or window is opened is nice, most are wireless now in the states, but running a thin wire and using rare earth magnets is pretty easy if you have basic remodel experience, connect it to a klaxxon or something. All you gotta do is drill a hole in the sash of the window and also the sill and snake the wires, you can remove the bottom piece of trim and or run it under baseboard to make a giant loop. It's a doorbell on steroids, but to do it "proper" it would be best to think of it during initial construction. Quaint Quail Quilt fucked around with this message at 18:09 on Oct 9, 2017 |
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Oct 9, 2017 18:04
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LogisticEarth posted:This is good advice. I see people leave their lights on all the time when they go on vacation. You know what lights on from dawn to dusk screams? There is nobody home, and the property is already well illuminated so you don't need to stumble around with a flashlight! See that's why I leave all my lights on all the time when I'm home too. Five steps ahead!
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Oct 10, 2017 02:08
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N. Senada posted:I am big fan of Scooby-doo-ifying your house with false walls, sincerely. Sounds like a fun thing to trick somebody with when family visits or something. They're cool for valuables storage, but resist the 'bookcase as a door for my sweet hangout room' urge. It's a great way to die when your house catches fire and firefighters can't find it to pull your unconscious rear end out. GWBBQ posted:This is going to sound really cynical, but if theft is this rampant your objective isn't to secure your house, it's to make it a less appealing target than your neighbors' houses. Beef up your doors, put security film on windows, put those spikes up on your fence, make sure the security system had an audible alarm, and make sure you have adequate lighting. Safes are no good if they can be stolen, so bolt it to the floor somewhere so it's hard to get it out before someone notices. I strongly recommend false walls and hidden rooms, but not necessarily for security purposes. One fun trick gun safe owners use sometimes is putting the safe someplace that you can't get enough room to put a prybar on it. Any safe short of an actual old bank vault door is just there to slow down a robber, in any case, but the less convenient you can make stealing your poo poo, the more likely they are to get nervous and leave first. Liquid Communism fucked around with this message at 05:18 on Oct 10, 2017 |
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Oct 10, 2017 05:14
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Liquid Communism posted:They're cool for valuables storage, but resist the 'bookcase as a door for my sweet hangout room' urge. It's a great way to die when your house catches fire and firefighters can't find it to pull your unconscious rear end out. Depending on construction, you'll want to either bolt it to the floor (if ground floor and you have a concrete foundation) or wall (if you have brick walls you don't mind drilling into). Either way, it's only a delay - a determined thief can steal anything, but make it difficult enough and they'll gently caress off. Floor is generally better.
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Oct 13, 2017 08:38
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get a dog
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Nov 2, 2017 09:16
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The most basic alarm system used here in South Africa is an internal motion detector system linked to a siren and some sort of armed response, in conjunction with door sensors. So essentially, your entire house is a no-go area short of the rooms you are sleeping in. Over and above this, you can have panic buttons in various rooms around the house, or alternatively a remote one to carry around for day-time use, also connected to armed response. Over and above this, your options are pretty much endless. After a break-in whilst we were sleeping, we had a security consultant come in and design a multiple layer system from a very high perimeter wall with electric fence, outside beams around the house (out to 8 meters), cameras around the house as well as the gate, internal IR sensor & sensors on all doors and a strong room large enough for the family. Obviously also big dogs, guns and remote panic buttons. The only step up from this is a gate-house with an armed guard in it in order to avoid them grabbing you outside of the house, thereby negating all the internal measures taken. This would however run me around USD 1000 a month, plus my neighbor on opposite side of the road was kind of enough to hire one for his property (from same security company, ADT) so I am essentially hoping this will deter enough. Obviously this is designed for living in a very high crime country, where a home invasion has a real chance of leading to your family's very violent demise, and I think it would be overkill in most other countries. Interesting to note, they caught the guys who broke into our house, and the reason why they only cleaned us out in some rooms of the house was because they were aware that we have 3 German Shepherds sleeping in our bed-room, and didn't want to deal with them. In terms of safes for your valuables, on our farm we simply took a large rifle-safe, broke a hole into the (brick) wall and set it into concrete. I am sure this would also work for smaller safes? Edit: I also questioned the fact how the burglars managed to strut around my house for an extended period of time without waking my dogs up. The cops at the time told me it was likely due to it raining quite hard, which messes with dogs awareness. I have no idea how true this is, possibly my dogs are dumb-asses instead. General consensus in South Africa is to have a little dog such a Jack Russel to detect, and some beefier ones to protect. Again, this isn't based on scientific facts or anything. BlueBull fucked around with this message at 17:42 on Nov 2, 2017 |
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Nov 2, 2017 11:22
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Maybe I'm out of line but I've just never worried about it. There's a meth dealer up the street from me, but I don't worry. I get people casing the area from time to time, I just make note in my head to see if they come back again I leave my car unlocked, sometimes a kid will rummage through it. I still don't lock my house religiously. If I have something that someone wants to steal, they're welcome to it. I've lived in public housing and lived in the wilderness and I don't mind either. If you live in fear, what's the point of living? A good dog is nice peace of mind though. They'll wake you up and give you a fighting chance.
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Nov 3, 2017 02:36
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Ice posted:get a dog My sister and her family got a dog after they got burgled with the excuse being that it would deter burglars but mostly I think they just wanted a dog. She would at least make a lot of noise if someone tried to get into the house but mostly I think she'd just want to lick them.
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Nov 5, 2017 12:29
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Slime posted:My sister and her family got a dog after they got burgled with the excuse being that it would deter burglars but mostly I think they just wanted a dog. She would at least make a lot of noise if someone tried to get into the house but mostly I think she'd just want to lick them. I don't know how much good a dog will do unless it's a trained one. Out of our many dogs, only one of ours could have actually been a guard dog. And we had Dobermans and Rotties when I was a kid, but none were trained guard dogs. Nope, the only one was a hound coon dog named Dixie, who had been beaten so bad by her past few owners that she'd piss the floor if someone slammed a door or anyone on TV was arguing. Once she realized we weren't going to beat her, she became almost insanely protective of us, to the point where a friend of mine was in the house, she was outside, and saw a stranger next to me. She almost broke through a glass door in attack mode, full snarling and everything. This dog used to take down mountain lions and bears, so I don't doubt she would have killed any intruder without hesitation. She died in her sleep some years ago.
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Nov 5, 2017 19:06
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Juanito posted:Anyways, we just have to figure out how to hide "the important stuff" from lovely thieves. Good luck, goonsir. At our office (also in Chile) we installed bars on the windows, floodlights everywhere, and big gently caress-off steel security doors. But I think what has kept the thieves away is that a bar opened across the street so that now people are around on weekends and at night.
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Nov 8, 2017 15:47
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i don't like dogs what if i get a very agressive cat
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Nov 16, 2017 01:20
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BlueBull posted:
I've read about Security companies pairing up German Sheppards or Rottweilers with Miniature Schnauzers for guard duty. Schnauzers are smart, have excellent senses, and they make a fuckton of noise when strangers pop by. Kind of a brains and brawn set up. As has been previously mentioned, if a burglar wants in to your place bad enough, they WILL get in. All you can do is make your place into as unattractive a target as possible. As was mentioned, things like thorny plants near windows, outdoor motion sensor lights, and beefing up your doors and windows will go a long way to discouraging people. So if all that fails, you'll want to hide your poo poo real good. Instead of doing false walls and hidden rooms, a cheap and effective hiding spot can be drilled into the top of a door.  Documents, cash, and flash drives can be hidden away with little chance of discovery, and you don't have to rip out a wall to do it.
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Nov 16, 2017 03:10
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Juanito posted:Police just have failed here. Thankfully they aren't really corrupt like other countries, but they are somewhat incompetent, and have slow response times. There is also a revolving door in courts, so thieves who get picked up red-handed, will often get released the very next day. This is why the officer was not discouraging violence. In that case, is anyone running a protection racket/service in your neighborhood? edit: In the mafia sense, not the alarm company sense.
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Nov 20, 2017 20:23
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I just don't own anything of value. The Zombie Guy posted:So if all that fails, you'll want to hide your poo poo real good. Instead of doing false walls and hidden rooms, a cheap and effective hiding spot can be drilled into the top of a door. How many film canisters full of
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Nov 21, 2017 02:30
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Outrail posted:I just don't own anything of value. Use a flared base. ALWAYS use a flared base.
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Nov 22, 2017 21:59
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