Neighbours and their lack of home security

rousetafarian

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Am I right in becoming increasingly pissed off my immediate next door neighbour having the most lax security ever?

Front door wide open whilst at home, and sometimes away.

Garden spade left by the front door for weeks on end.

My point is that even though we live in a quiet cul-de-sac it would/could attract unwanted attention next door and that’s too close for comfort IMO

Hmmm!
 
Cul-de-sac's are great for ne'er-do-well's are they not?
No prying eyes from people in cars or walking to somewhere past the open door house.
 
When i were a kid, neighbours always left doors wide open to show they were in and people could randomly pop by for a chat.

If a neighbour popped out, the door was closed.
 
What you can't see from that picture is the crossbow booby trap that awaits whomever dares to step foot past the front door..
 
During the summer months we often leave the front door ajar when we're home. Do they have a cat?
 
Am I right in becoming increasingly pissed off my immediate next door neighbour having the most lax security ever?

Front door wide open whilst at home, and sometimes away.

Garden spade left by the front door for weeks on end.

My point is that even though we live in a quiet cul-de-sac it would/could attract unwanted attention next door and that’s too close for comfort IMO

Hmmm!

I watched a documentary years ago that was presented by an ex-burglar (that Dominic guy?). It was explained that the best way to make sure you aren't robbed is by making your house seem like a bad prospect to a burglar by having good security. Burglars work in an opportunistic manner, usually seeing a good house to rob completely by chance, whilst walking past (your neighbour seems like easy pickings to anyone with a brain).

It was explained that if you've got 2 houses as an option to pick from; one is locked up tight, everything is stowed away, there's a dog in the garden etc..., but the next door neighbour has open windows, a ladder in the garden and a pile of mail visible through the front door, then it's easy for a criminal to choose from those 2 options.

At the risk of sounding a bit jack, personally, I wouldn't care too much about this situation. Whose house is going to get robbed here, yours or his? If your neighbour doesn't care about their own security, why should you? By all means mention it to them, but I think the phrase 'you can lead a horse to water' may spring to mind here :)

I don't think you need to worry about a robber coming along, burgling his house, then yours, then all the others in your cul-de-sac - they don't work in that way. It's in, rob, out. Probably not returning to the same location again ever (unless there are other idiots doing the same as your neighbour of course - a classic 'target-rich-environment').

Edit: it wasn't the presenter (Dominic Littlewood) that was the ex-burglar - he had an ex-burglar on his show, to explain how burglars work: Beat the Burglar - Wikipedia
 
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It was explained that if you've got 2 houses as an option to pick from; one is locked up tight, everything is stowed away, there's a dog in the garden etc..., but the next door neighbour has open windows, a ladder in the garden and a pile of mail visible through the front door, then it's easy for a criminal to choose from those 2 options.

I agree, as long as your neighbour looks like the 'easy option' I'd be pretty happy :)
 
View attachment 1059332 Am I right in becoming increasingly pissed off my immediate next door neighbour having the most lax security ever?

Front door wide open whilst at home, and sometimes away.

Garden spade left by the front door for weeks on end.

My point is that even though we live in a quiet cul-de-sac it would/could attract unwanted attention next door and that’s too close for comfort IMO

Hmmm!
What's the address? Does he have much? Just asking.
 
Not a problem for me...burglars will go for the easiest target.
 
Do you have a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area? If so, and you don't want to speak directly to your neighbour about their lack of security, then ask the neighbourhood watch reps to call and talk to them.
 
Do you have a neighbourhood watch scheme in your area? If so, and you don't want to speak directly to your neighbour about their lack of security, then ask the neighbourhood watch reps to call and talk to them.
Sadly not!
 
Just make your house less desirable to your next doors.
Or in your neighbours case, make theirs more desirable than yours.
As already said, a burglar will usually go for the easier target.

BTW, you cant 'rob' a house.
 
totally agree with burglars go for the easy option. both my neighbors got burgled because they gave easy access to the back of their properties. one left the side gate unlocked the other had bins by the back gate that the burglars used to get i the back garden. my property has get lost written all over it closed curtains, burglar alarm, cctv, spikes on the gates etc etc
 
I'm not a policeman, but I thought that the various police forces around the country would have at least a couple of 'crime prevention' officers.

Find out who yours is, and point out your neighbour's house to them. They'd be only too pleased to pop round and give him some sage advice. (Actually, they'd probably think it a PITA detail, but still....)

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Years ago (40+), our neighbours were burgled during the day. I was in at the time, but didn't hear a thing. The first I knew, was a uniformed officer at our front door, asking if I'd seen/heard anything, and suggesting I check over our own house, they suspected the crim was still in the area, (I was 13 or 14 at the time, just bunking off school). I took our two dogs (Rough Collies) with me and went around the house, checking windows and doors.

I was upstairs, when I heard the back door being opened. "Hello? Hello? Anyone here?" the voice from downstairs called. Since they didn't identify themselves, I kept quiet - to me, the burglar had snuck in, looking for somewhere to lay low.

The back door closed again. I snuck downstairs, keeping a tight hold of the two dogs. No-one there, I crept out of the back door, and saw the back of a man, peering into the side door to our garage. I released both dogs with a cry of "Kill!", and Storm and Amber leapt up at this bloke, who promptly fell-over into the now open doorway, with both dogs on top of him.

Quite a large commotion, with not a few expletives filling the air, and suddenly our back garden was full of policemen, mostly uniformed, but some, like their hapless colleague that our dogs had just attacked, were plain-clothed!

Needless to say, I got a lot of 'Well-dones' from the blokes compatriots - and he took a lot of justifiable stick, for not identifying himself when he first came into our house!:D
 
totally agree with burglars go for the easy option. both my neighbors got burgled because they gave easy access to the back of their properties. one left the side gate unlocked the other had bins by the back gate that the burglars used to get i the back garden. my property has get lost written all over it closed curtains, burglar alarm, cctv, spikes on the gates etc etc
This precisely, touch wood my place is locked down so tight that a burglar would do well to get in! However him leaving a 4ft spade next to my gate, garage, new car and front door annoys the hell out of me.
 
There was this ancient method of dealing with people and situations that was passed down through the generations but has since been lost through the mist of time. I remember my grandfather telling me about how he had heard it was a method his grandparents had used on occasion.

It went something like this...

Talk to your neighbor.
 

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