The law is the law and we must respect it and do as it dictates. Attacking the burglars or vandals is uncalled for and is liable to get you to jail..

 

This is not true unless you live in a bank etc.. etc.. It will go to a monitoring station which will then report the alarm if it's not false to the police.

I heard that if they come upstairs it's aggrevated burgalry (sp?) Then you can give um a slapping? Don't know how true this is. I personally take mine upstairs with me, make it hard as possible for them to get the keys. If you do get someone breaking in and demanding keys with violence just give them up it's only a car.

 

Slightly o/t, but...

If you *really* want to upset yourself about this sort of thing, have a good look at your car insurance.

Mine stated payout in the event of a theft would require me to hand over all original sets of keys.

Funnily enough, I crossed that out before I signed.

 

Got it - I'll get the dog to sleep with the keys....

 

Oxford area mate and the house prices are going down by the minute. The police here do a very good job at protecting us. Hell, we even have a speed trap camera to protect us. What more can we ask for?

 

This police response thing reminds me of something I read recently. I think it was supposed to be true...

Guy rings the police and says three youths are breaking into his shed can they send someone.
Police say they have no one to respond, sit tight and let them get on with it and they'll send someone when they have time.
Guy phones back and says don't worry about sending anyone I've shot them all.
2 minutes later all hell breaks loose outside as police cars screech up and apprehend thieves in progress..
Copper says to guy thought you'd shot them..and guy responds thought you had no one to send...

If I'm ever in this position and need to call the police 'cos someone is breaking into the house I WILL say that I think I saw one of them with a gun.. The armed response team are sat around with squat to do most of the time!

 

From experience in our area the response times are very good....a couple of months ago (around the time those scoobs were nicked in N London) at about 3am there was loads of noise downstairs and it sounded like somone was kicking in the front door, I phoned the police quickly saying we were being broken into and grabbed "a little something" and went downstairs to have a look.
As soon as I turned the lights on he ran off, and I slowly went outside to have check in the garden, it was then when a copper sneaked up and just about took my head off with a truncheon thinking I was the thief. Luckily the dressing gown saved me from explaining I actually lived there. Anyway I reckon it was 4-5 mins response time which is not too bad really, they just advised me not to park on the driveway but its my only option as I dont have a garage and they also reckon it was a drunk at the wrong house.... life eh ?

 

Anyone else want to reveal to all and sundry where they keep their keys at night ???

 

Alpine - What a damn good idea!

 

Alpine, thanks for the idea. I'm bound to use this sooner or later.

 

Thats funny and scary at the same time

 

I have just moved to Northampton. This is making me think that perhaps I should kick the tenants out of my nice cosy house in Hinckley, Leicestershire and move back!

Crime in Hinckley was a few "revellers" on a Saturday night getting drunk.... But here? Can't be THAT bad can it?

 

Cops only want to be cops for the thrills... Get them excited when you call them. Then they come running....

 

If they are determined to get your car they will kick the door in and come in with shooters. I think she was probably referring to being burgled in the night.

Get a big dog, that way it saves the argument with the Mrs as to who's going to sleep in the key spot!

PP

 

Paul,

There is another slant to this. Someone knocked on my door the other night to say that his wife had been followed home by 2 chaps on motorbikes (he had just walked past my Scooby and turned around to pass the info on). They then proceeded to assault her on her drive with a hammer in order to get her to release the keys to her car.

Not sure if they got the car but she is traumatised and badly hurt.

So apart from having to make a decision as to where you leave your keys at night you need to keep an eye out to see if someone is following you that should not be.

What the hell is going on? I work effing hard to buy and keep my car, why should some to$$er think they have the right to take my head off to nick my car?

WB

 

Always keep my keys in my bedroom, If the theving ba$tards managed to get up stairs they would deserve the car! My big and vicious Staffie sleeps outside the bedroom door!!!Free to roam the house as and when he pleases.

 

some of you may have seen my thread a couple of weeks ago.

thieving scum got in to our house at 4am on sat 22nd june, by hooking our house keys through the letterbox.

before you think that we're stupid for leaving keys by the letterbox, they were actaully on the stairs which is 18 feet away. the police found 8 garden canes tied together with shoe laces.

my children have alsways been taught that there is a set of keys on the third step in case of emergency, and i will always defend my decision to make them aware of this first route of escape in emergency

however, if these b*stards are prepared to go to the lengths of letting themselves in to your house whilst all are sleeping, i'm sure they'll probably be prepared to go further if they can't find the keys.

in a lot of these cases they are not just chancers who nick the car as they come across the keys. these guys nicked every key off our key rack (well away from, and out of sight of, the doors and windows), and i suspect they only took my briefcase and laptop as they were en route and looked valuable. they left my digi camera and wallet (not that they'd have had much fun with that, anyway!).

I still leave my keys downstairs, and will continue to do so. They won't put me off having nice cars (they took my Impreza and my 540i) but metal can be replaced; family can't.

I'll leave being a hero to someone else unless it's to protect flesh and blood.

simon

 

i know of someone with an rs4, who had top end security in his house and garage. he very rarley used the rs4, so not many people new about it.

one night at about 4 in morning heard noise and went downstairs to see what going on. met on stairway by sawn off shotgun in his throat, silly bu66er tried to hit them the baseball bat in his hands (nutter). fortunately for him they did not fire, justgave him a beating with bat, then took the rs4 and s4 from the garage.

his wife called please and tracker company for both vehicles, cars recovered in 30 mins, no suspects though.

why bother paying for a tracking unit, if you going to try stop them first.

having said that i think i would probably do something, but it would only be if they threatened the wife and 2 boys.

i have done martial arts for 15 years and fought for GB in japan, but i am sensible enough to realise that i am not quicker than a bullet, or harder than a bat or knife.

i just think to myself, is my life worth losing for something that can be replaced. i can't be replaced, nor can my family, the car can however.

so whilst i would be very pi55ed off, i would let them have it if they were determined enough.

i have been followed in my old car and sometimes used to park up in someones drive and go knock on door, pretended im lost. by then car or bike had gone, so apologised and drove home.

just my 2p worth.

 

I have experienced this - click here. I now keep my keys in my bedroom but I'm always thinking 'why the f*ck should I'?
The lack of respect which these people have winds me up so much that I want to actually catch one of them in the act and seriously go to town on them. I always keep a look out in car parks etc. now so rest assured, if I see someone messing with any of your cars - I'll get 'em.
Am I bitter or what!
But I do agree that family come first...

Jamie

 

And then the latest crime figures come out this morning

 

Here is a copy of the email i sent the the Chron & Echo which is being published in the paper today

Titled - Police advise taking your car keys to bed - are they on drugs?

Front page of today's Chron and Echo
Sharon Henley the Community Safety Officer has recommended that owners of
prestige cars take their car keys to bed to keep them safe. On the face of
it this seems like a good idea. Think a bit harder, for the thieves to get
you keys they will now need to break into your house and come into your
bedroom to get your keys. Yes this does happen, I know of several people who
have been threatened at knifepoint, or have had their loved ones threatened
just for their car keys!

The sort of people who steal prestige/high performance cars like this are
generally professional criminals who will stop at almost nothing to get
their hands on your car.

Sharon I really think you need to retract this advice at once. You could be
putting people in danger!

At the end of the day it is only a car and can be replaced where as your
family is a different matter.

Perhaps the police should be concentrating on catching criminals like this,
the car jackers, etc instead of putting so much energy in knicking speeding
motorists on the M1, A45, etc. Still, this requires a lot more effort and
perhaps the crime figures would not look so good, just knicking one gang of
car thieves instead of 50 or so motorists or so a day.

Sort it out.

Paul Habgood

 

From http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/uk/...00/2122794.stm

Violent crime up 11% to 812,000 incidents

Murders up 4% to 886 and attempted murders up 21% to 858

Robbery up 28% to more than 121,000 incidents, including a 31% rise in robbery of personal property.

Rapes up 14%

Soliciting up 60%

But don't worry folks, we've rucked another 500,000 motorists this year for doing 85 on the motorway. Damn criminal scum.

 

According to the radio report this morning, car crime is actually down. I guess this is because breaking and entry to steal keys isn't car crime?

*sigh*

 

One bit of good news however.

On Tuesday, Police in my area caught red handed a car thief who had apparently broken into a house and obtained a new 3 series convertible.

Unfortunately for him the car had a tracker.

It was impressive to see the end result - it all ended outside my house, next to my Scoob! They had a helicopter and about 8 different vehicles, they all converged on this guy, who realised too late that they were onto him, so he dumped the car and casually walked down the road, as the police screamed past him.

Luckily the eagle eyed public was at hand to point the Boys in Blue in the culprits direction and they nabbed him.

Quite exciting for a minute with all the cars and sirens coming out of nowhere and the uniforms running about in all directions.

Get this about the perp - he was out on bail for a similar crime, had a set of keys to a Range Rover in the car also, with blue, garage type tag on the key ring!! and apparently is single handedly responsible for 25% of the car crime in the area!!!

Overall a good result and our hard earned taxes well spent for once.

 

and they'll have changed the way the figures are calculated again.

 

Paul

Whilst I completely agree with your sentiment unfortunately criminals these days to not dress in black and white striped jumpers, with face masks and carry swag bags.

Quote:
"Perhaps the police should be concentrating on catching criminals like this,
the car jackers, etc instead of putting so much energy in knicking speeding motorists on the M1, A45, etc. Still, this requires a lot more effort and perhaps the crime figures would not look so good, just knicking one gang of car thieves instead of 50 or so motorists or so a day"

It is a good bet that the scum that nick the car are not exactly keeping to the speed limit, and therefore in order to catch the crooks they have to do it by some means. I'm sure that if you have a better idea then your local nick would be happy to hear it. I never complain when stopped because I would hope that if my car got nicked they would stop the slag driving it.

PP

 

Paul

Whilst I completely agree with your sentiment unfortunately criminals these days to not dress in black and white striped jumpers, with face masks and carry swag bags.

Quote:
"Perhaps the police should be concentrating on catching criminals like this,
the car jackers, etc instead of putting so much energy in knicking speeding motorists on the M1, A45, etc. Still, this requires a lot more effort and perhaps the crime figures would not look so good, just knicking one gang of car thieves instead of 50 or so motorists or so a day"

It is a good bet that the scum that nick the car are not exactly keeping to the speed limit, and therefore in order to catch the crooks they have to do it by some means. I'm sure that if you have a better idea then your local nick would be happy to hear it. I never complain when stopped because I would hope that if my car got nicked they would stop the slag driving it.

PP

 

I would expect that proffessional car thieves do actually keep to the speed limits as to avoid drawing attention to themselves. Joyriders on the other hand, is a different story.

Jamie

 

Police have caught a gang who operated in South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. There were 5 of them. Their ages ? Oldest was 24 and youngest 19, all of them were from the Manor Estate in Sheffield. Ringleader, 24, got 4 years[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] and accomplices got sentences ranging from 12 months in young offenders institutions to community service orders[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img] They took vehicles by breaking into houses, stealing keys and making off with prestige cars. They stole £65,000 worth of vehicles apparently.
At least thats one operating gang dealt with, but for not long enough[img]images/smilies/mad.gif[/img]

 

well thats the diff between a single man and a family man..

if i was single then yeah, te car would be a priority.. but as it is my wife and daughter might disagree

[Edited by chrome - 7/11/2002 1:36:54 PM]