dpb

Spoon, are you of the opinion that each and every one of us should possess a firearm for our own safety

Spoon

From the home where the control panel is fitted, 2 or more if the property is large and you want to include upstairs, you ideally want to give yourself as much warning as is possible within a budget to suit. 30 metres with decent PIRs is basic practice and that affords you a decent amount of time to act. In the OP's case the first place to cover is the field. A distinguishable audible tone would have alerted the Father to an area nobody should be approaching from. There are no wires to cut until someone reaches the home. Don't confuse decent cost effective security with James Bond.

Thieving scum don't usually approach up the drive to the front door and announce their arrival. Most owners of security still believe they will and rely on the fact cameras and signs can be seen, thinking they have their place covered.

Scum drugged up or drunk rarely fear anything much. That is where a trained dog can at least upset their misplaced bravado.

Spoon

So from basic security you've moved onto whether or not homeowners should be allowed guns?

Priceless. absolutely priceless

Matteeboy

I thought about this at 1am (our little boy has an ear infection!) and a shiver ran down my spine.

I'd get at least one large, scary dog.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Can I just say that our farm is a business and we have spent over £10k on full CCTV, gate alarms, flood lights everywhere, locks and chains on all buildings and gates, etc. we have signage everywhere. If anyone attempts to get ibto our yards on our farm, we will know. This incident happened near the back of our house and its impossible to alarm the whole land. Our lane to access our property has a camera pointing at it and a flood light which is how we can see the 3 men running along. We still don't know how they got there in the first place (we think over the fields). Anyway, an hour after we see these 3 men running on CCTV, another man (4th or same one?) comes into the house. We think he was a scout and the fact that my dad was here scared him so he said 'I'm gonna get you' to scare me dad. Also we have had a look out in a field which backs onto our back door and the wire fence has been freshly cut so they defiantly targeted our house. They must have been waiting in the field and this man was a scout? The others were probably sat waiting for the all clear. Scary...

Spoon

So, as I thought, the farm is a business and so security is a business expense. I don't have to say it again as it is quite clear whoever charged you £10,000 for that set-up needs a new profession.

You still won't accept it is perfectly possible to secure the back of your home. Therefore no amount of advice is going to change your view on how the incident could have possibly been prevented.

I hope your Father is OK today.

Dingdongler

Spoon, many thanks. That website is good and I'll pm you as mentioned if I have any questions.

I think everybody is missing Spoon's point. The op is a bit of an exception because he lives on a massive farm making things more difficult. However 99% of us give little thought to our home security until it is too late. Most of us have houses that somebody could break into within a couple of minutes, I realise this now and for me it is unacceptable.

The measures Spoon has suggested do not mean you end up living in a prison. They just mean you are more secure and safer in your home.

As for affordability, it is all relative. If you can afford to fuel and insure a Scoob you can afford these measures.

CharlySkunkWeed

iTrader: (7)

You need to put yourself in a robbers position.

- cctv (cameras , signs , or both) wont matter , i will have my face covered.
- sensor lights , great ! The place will be well lit for my entry & escape.
- alarm , i will watch the house until there is only one easy target so the alarm wont be set and i will bring a few mates to help.

Its as well the dad put up enough of a fight to scare him off , but be cautious of a return if they didnt know he was there he may have caught them unprepared. The gun shot will have helped alot in that sense , but may return when no-one is about.

dpb

I think you have to run through what they're after

Matteeboy

Always thought of Gloucester as fairly safe. What an absolute nightmare.

Used to get very wound up by crime in Bristol. Thankfully it's very rare down in these 'ere parts, except for lots of criminally bad driving in the silly season.

Tidgy

if they have been caught on cam then fairly easy to say they were there.

3 of these should keep the place safe,

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

The police have been very good so far and we've had 3 visits already. Ofcourse there's only so much they can do but it's reassuring. One officer said they haven't had a case like this where a gang have targeted a farm house in a long time. He said that most of the time it's usually during daylight in more built-up villages, or the actual farm itself/buildings.

Leslie

Nothing wrong in reporting it to the coppers.

Les

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

I've got four

You never know

OK, one hasn't got any firing pins, the other is a converted .22 poachers rifle and the other two are apair of Brown Besses...just add gun powder and whatever will fit down the barrel

mamoon2

Aswell as CCTV, Lights and Alarm..... I've got a perimeter alarm which is basically pir's all around the exterior of the house. They sound a warning which can be heard inside the house from any room. The warning is a series of beeps which corrolate to the zone, so you know where abouts the intruder is. Cost me £130

chet123

iTrader: (7)

not read this thread completely but its no surprise this is going on in the run up to christmas and the current climate.

What I will add is just last week a guy at work said to me his dad was at home, alone and at 11.30am 4 guys barged through the front door to try and rob the place. This was during the day with someone also being at home, probably knowing he was alone. This is isnt the first time I've heard or read about burglars robbing occupants who are alone at home, I suspect they do it (in groups mind you) as there is no alarm activated and being in groups occupants would be completely in shock and helpless.

Nowadays burglars want jewelry, cash, items they can carry for a quick getaway.

My colleague did say it has happen in the area before. I don't think he had a porch but it does make you question even with someone at home, with the lights on, CCTV burglars will do whatever they need to to break in.

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

I would definitely get a dog, I dont think any electronics have been made that rival an alert hound, as mentioned Jack Russells are excellent alert dogs, I ride past a farm sometimes that has two of them, they cant see me but no matter how quiet I am, and I have tried I cannot get past without a lot of barking going on, very impressive alert and a deterrent like no other, especially with bigger models, though not all dogs make good guard dogs, I would go for a JRT and something bigger with large teeth and a dislike for univited guests.

Oh, and lock all the doors.

Spoon

Minted Mamoon, keep it to yourself!

mamoon2

Not at all but as a shotgun holder, security is high on my priority list. Plus my garage got burglarised this time last year.

Spoon

See my tongue, see my cheek? See the pressure on both?

Perimeter alarms are the domain of the minted and you've proven that by spending that extortionate amount of money on one. You know, the same amount as most would spend on a night out.

dpb

So without a shotgun you could live like a normal person?

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Well, we have 2 dogs, a noisy border terrier that barks when she hears something and a cavalier spaniel... both tiny little things but unfortunately they had shut themselves in the living room (they push through the door and then can't get back out)... I've mentioned to my Father before that a nice guard type dog would be the best but he doesn't want a large dog when we already have 2. Taking on another dog would be a lot and I know that it would be a good idea and help deter possible burglars and help with safety of the family, etc.

What he is going to do now though is get some more big flood lights, this time on very back of our house, and also a vibration type alarm which will link into our current system. It would be placed on the back door and windows so that if someone tried to smash/bang on the door/windows to get in, then the alarm will sound.

We thought of a motion alarm but we didn't think this would be the best because like I said, they broke into the house when my Father was in, so obviously my Father wouldn't arm a motion alarm when he's in the house because himself and the dogs would constantly be setting it off.

Cheers for all advice everyone. Oh, and we'll also be locking doors from now on. I hate the way it starts to rule your life because you shouldn't have to go through as many measures as what we are doing and have done, just to protect your property. Also, I have got permission to own a semi-automatic shotgun and when I get it, I'll be keeping it upstairs in a cabinet in my room.

Spoon

Better late than never but here's hoping everyone reads this and takes action before they have to go through the shìt unwanted visitors bring.
Generally the motion detector is external to alert you of someone approaching, unless of course the burglars live in your loft.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

Good point, but wouldn't birds/rabbits or other small animals be setting it off?

dpb

Yep, bloody nightmare

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Not really. Much like internal systems, external systems can using good PIRs should only pick up large moving heat sources.

Better ones can be set as a "double knock" zone. Basically it needs to pick up two (or more ) triggers within so many seconds to actually sound the warning bleeper.

Alternative is photoelectric detectors around teh periminter of grounds near the property set at a height that can only be triggered by something tall (i.e a human).

Biggest annoyance I've had is foxes, but as I said it can be overcome.

Spoon

Only my dog on occasions set mine off but none of the above do. If my dog is out I can ignore any indicators anyway. You will need to talk to a specialist security PIR provider telling them your requirements, distance, angle ETC. Don't simply use a B&Q PIR or similar. My Opals aren't cheap but well made, they last and more to the point they do what I need them to do.

There are quite a few 'proper' PIR dealers out there, just search if you're serious about doing it right.

Alternatively but more costly are active beams.

LSherratt

iTrader: (1)

I shall mention this to my Father.

Anyway, here is the CCTV of the 3 men seen running away. It's pretty creepy and for some reason the video has been sped up, so if you "watch on youtube" and slow it down to 0.25x, it's much easier to see. They appear at 9 seconds in.

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

strange it's almost exactly an hour difference. Is the time stamp correct and/or did your dad note the right time given he would be a bit shaken up?

dpb

Give Usain a scare!