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Do burglars "watch" houses?

UnknownUnknown
edited December 2013 in Spurious Generalities
The other night, my Mother was at home watching TV when she thought she heard someone trying to open the front door to the house. Apparently she heard them try the handle and push the door, but she never actually saw anything so it could have been anything really - wind, people next door coming home, etc. However, it did get me thinking. If someone WAS trying the front door, what are the chances that they're "watching" the house each day to see when people are at home? What are the chances that they'll come back to the house, but this time armed with a crowbar or something to smash a window with?

I remember reading an E-book written by an ex-burglar (I think it was called "Secrets of a Superthief, if anyone is interested) where he mentioned that a good burglar will plan his attack carefully, watching the house each day to learn when the occupants will go to work, come home, where the points of entry are, etc.

Basically, should I be expecting burglars any time soon? I feel like I should booby trap the house ;)
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  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited August 2012
    I'd assume it would make sense to stake the property before any job. You can calculate the time people leave the property each day, what time they crash out by when the lights go out each night. Do they have a dog, Does the owner look like the sorta person that'll cut my throat if I get caught by them.. That sorta shit Ya know? However most crooks tend to rip shit off at the spur of the moment. No plans, no scoping.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited August 2012
    I've been keeping an eye out, and I haven't seen anything suspicious. I'm awake until strange hours of the morning too, hours when burglars would enjoy breaking into a house as no one is awake (or so they think). It's been about a week and I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary but that doesn't mean no one is wanting to break in. My friend who lives a few doors down was burgled a few years ago. We live in a really quiet neighborhood and it causes quite a stir when something happens, it's not often that we get any crooks walking around our area but I'm not an idiot - these things happen. That said, if someone DID come and try the door, I'd like to think it was just an opportunistic moment and nothing serious.

    Actually, thinking about it - if they were really planning on breaking in then they wouldn't have tried the door and walked off. This would give their game away. If they had been planning something, they wouldn't have tried at all until they were absolutely CERTAIN they would be able to get in without anyone/anything getting in their way.

    But still, I'll keep a close eye out and post here with any new info. I don't want this happening to any of my fellow totseans.
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  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited August 2012
    Its not the norm here for someone to break into a house and rip it off while the owners are sleeping. Home invasions are usually reserved to fuck a person up or stand them over for their drugs. Most places get robbed when no one is home.
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited August 2012
    People here break into houses just because they can. It's pretty much either because they're cunts, or they need money for drugs. Thanks for your help though - any tips for securing the place?
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  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited August 2012
    trx100 wrote: »
    People here break into houses just because they can. It's pretty much either because they're cunts, or they need money for drugs.
    The criminal psyche is obviously different to here. :( However! Us placing them under the category of cunt still remains the same.

    trx100 wrote: »
    Thanks for your help though - any tips for securing the place?

    fIzr8.jpg


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  • angryonionangryonion Just some guy
    edited August 2012
    One thing you could do if you work near your home is to pop in at odd times.
    Last year my wife surprised some asshole peaking in through the window,she got home early "surprise" the guy ran off up the hill and left in his car before she could get a plate #.
    When I worked at a car dealer 2.5 miles from my house a road test by my house was mandatory at least twice a day.
    You could also install a web cam that you could check from your phone
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  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited August 2012
    angryonion wrote: »
    You could also install a web cam that you could check from your phone
    Now this is a good idea! ^ ...... Fuck it! Just run a streaming cam, link it here and totseans can keep an eye on it. ;)
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  • UnknownUnknown
    edited August 2012
    I woke up at a really weird time last night, to the sound of someone driving slowly along the road, stopping their car and getting out being careful to close the door quietly. In the next few seconds that followed, I developed a plan;
    1. Grab the phone while getting out of bed, call the police.
    2. Turn my bedroom light on. This would grab the attention of the burglar.
    3. Walk up to the window (stark naked), shout "OI DICKHEAD" to whoever it was outside.
    4. With the police on the phone out of the burglars line of sight, I'd continue shouting/screaming at him, mentioning the number of my house and the street name during the conversation. Hopefully the police would pick up on this.
    5. Finally I'd tell the guy to leave. Getting surprised by a naked person at the window screaming the village awake as you try to break into someone's house would be enough to put you off the idea, right? At this time, I'd bring the phone into view and tell him "the police are on their way". As he runs to his car, describe his clothes down the phone. As he drives off, get his plate number, a description of the car and the direction he drove off in.

    How sick would that be?! All of this was thought of in a matter of seconds. The guy I heard outside wasn't a burglar though. Kind of wish he was now!
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  • GoingNowhereGoingNowhere Global Moderator
    edited August 2012
    Haha, smiled at 3.

    I've always thought about how I would break in, and like others have mentioned it has a lot of careful planning involved. A webcam is an awesome idea. Do you have a front garden with a gate? Any common passage way can be monitored to see if anyone has passed there or not and if you have a gate then thats even better. Just place a reed, leaf, toilet paper etc around the gate before you sleep and if anyone opens it it will break thus knowing someone has entered your garden. What we have in our house is a series of lights that come on when you trigger the PIR detector. We did this to help us see our way up the garden path but it is a very good deterrent too.
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  • Darth BeaverDarth Beaver Meine Ehre heißt Treue
    edited August 2012
    Do burglars "watch" houses?


    Does Dolly Parton sleep on her back?
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  • DaktologistDaktologist Global Moderator
    edited August 2012
    ^Lol this
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  • ArkansanArkansan Regular
    edited August 2012
    Sounds like someone is planning to make a go at your place. Be careful not to end up engaged with them as you don't really know what their motives are and how far they will take it. I don't know what weapon laws are like in your country but an aluminum tee-ball bat is long enough to give you range over someone with a knife but small enough so as not to be unwieldy at close range or in confined spaces. Plus they make that satisfying metallic PING when they connect.
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  • 0000000000 Regular
    edited January 2013
    trx100 wrote: »
    I've been keeping an eye out, and I haven't seen anything suspicious. I'm awake until strange hours of the morning too, hours when burglars would enjoy breaking into a house as no one is awake (or so they think).
    imho a burglary would be easiest in the afternoon on a weekday. burglars can be opportunistic or "spot" a house, where they watch it for as little as 5 minutes up to weeks. Most both.

    It's easy to check if someone's in. Even knocking on a door with an excuse can often not lead to suspicion.
    Most burglars don't even break in. (open windows etc)
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  • RemadERemadE Global Moderator
    edited January 2013
    Round here, and through doing Urban Exploration in very public places, the two easiest times would be
    • Weekday afternoons - most people are at work, very little chance of neighbours spotting you and you tend to know when people will be coming home or when the whippersnappers get out fro school. Also makes a good time to look at the house (in whichever way you please, such as distance etc)
    • Sunday night - people in bed, ready for work after (what you hope to be) a tiring weekend. Possibly paying less attention to things and sleeping deeper. Best not to break into the house, per se, rather a car or outhouse

    Realised that in the areas I've lived. Just had to check our doors etc, too.
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  • Darth BeaverDarth Beaver Meine Ehre heißt Treue
    edited January 2013
    After the watch the houses do they house the watches?
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  • ArkansanArkansan Regular
    edited January 2013
    SWIM has found that broad fucking daylight on weekdays can be productive if you are familiar with police patterns
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  • RemadERemadE Global Moderator
    edited February 2013
    ^ this ;)
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  • StephenPBarrettStephenPBarrett Adviser
    edited December 2013
    My own home has been broken into a few times and my former vehicle was broken into as well. They perpetrators made out with $75 and some pills from the house and took my iPod from the vehicle. They tried to break into the apt 3 different times. Once they were successful, another time my dog attacked them and they left their fucking blood all over the damn apt from the living room to the bathroom and the back bedroom. Apparently my dog chased them around, they even fell in the bathtub and left a bloody hand print which the cops refused to use as evidence because cops are stupid fucking cuntbags (in case you didn't know).

    Another time they tried to break in I had gone to work and my wife and daughter were playing in the back bedroom on the bed by the window. The jackass forces the window open (it didn't lock very well then) and sticks his head in so my wife starts yelling at him something like "What the fuck do you think you're doing!?" To which he replies "Ah man, mah bad! I dnt no u wuz home." To which she responds "What the fuck does it matter if I'm home or not!? Get the fuck out!" Then she proceeded to chase the guy through the woods whilst calling the cops and eventually chased him to where they were waiting to arrest him. He of course, according to her and I believe it, protested that he "dnt do nthin! It wuz sum udda nigga!"

    I've had all the locks changed since then, the windows are secured and all have alarm tones that sound when they're opened. The door also had an alarm on it but it got ripped off and that shit wouldn't stop sounding to I had to stop using it. I don't have a gun because as of yet I can't afford one, though it is on my to buy list, but I have taken to carrying a big knife on my side since I got mugged a couple of months ago a few yards away from my door on my walk home from work. I live in a shitty neighborhood.
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  • spazzyspazzy Regular
    edited December 2013
    OP.

    Do bears shit in the woods?



    Hhahahha,
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  • DaktologistDaktologist Global Moderator
    edited December 2013
    Fuck yeah they do. Home invasion is a pretty serious crime compared to breaking and entering. Plus I wouldn't want to get shot at or something.
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