How to stop burglars

[Kempa]

I am really tired of them. I know, the area we live in is not safe. I suppose there is a group of teenagers who are burglars. I think they do not need the stuff they steal, they do it for any other reasons. I do not know, maybe for fun. They drink and smoke. I want to avoid such cases in my house and backyard. Police cannot catch them. Maybe I need any security system with cameras and motion detectors. What providers do people usually use? {scrubbed} I will be very thankful if someone would recommend me any!

[Bartmanhomer]

I am really tired of them. I know, the area we live in is not safe. I suppose there is a group of teenagers who are burglars. I think they do not need the stuff they steal, they do it for any other reasons. I do not know, maybe for fun. They drink and smoke. I want to avoid such cases in my house and backyard. Police cannot catch them. Maybe I need any security system with cameras and motion detectors. What providers do people usually use? {scrub the post, scrub the quote} I will be very thankful if someone would recommend me any!

Get a top-notch security system just like in the episode of Home Improvement.

[Khedrac]

There is always an issue of cost v benefit. Opportunistic burglars may well not be put off my a decent security system because they won't stop to consider if they should be!

A many years ago a study was done to determine the best anti-theft device for cars - crook-lock, wheel lock, alarm, immobilizer etc.
The conclusion it came to was that the best car anti-theft device was a sticker saying that the car was fitted with an anti-theft device - the joy-riders would be put off and the professionals wouldn't care.

Things have probably changed as new technologies come in and drop in price, but there are enough video's of would-be burglars taken with door cameras to make me think that the doorstep thieves don't care about video so the principle may well still be solid.

Either way, I would start with a prominent (fake) alarm box mounted on the outside of your house (if an alarm system is any good all the outside box will be is a light and maybe an additional speaker - the main speaker will be elsewhere to stop it from being disabled by filling the box with foam).

[Xyril]

You've described in general terms what your situation is like, but the best deterrents probably depend a lot on the specifics of your neighborhood. Like Khedrac says, cameras aren't really a deterrent or a countermeasure--I've seen too many videos where porch pirates were caught on HD camera, sometimes with license plates or other identifying info in frame, and (allegedly) the police still didn't think it was worth the hassle of prosecuting. However, here are some things to consider.

What are you protecting, your house, your car, your yard? What kind of crimes are most common in your area? Is it people trying to steal cars or valuables they can use or sell, or mostly jerks trying to vandalize or steal things for the sake of showing how criminal they are? Maybe it's just bored people joyriding in your car or briefly squatting in your yard to drink or do drugs?

You said your neighborhood is "bad," but what do you mean by that? Is it one of those places where the cops have basically given up, or is it rough and low income, but with neighbors who do actually know each other?

If you're trying to avoid break-ins of your house, good burglar bars and keeping your flashiest valuables away from windows do a great deal to deter people who are stealing for the sake of getting stuff, or money.

To keep people away from your car or out of your yard (and to generally deter break-ins) good motion-activated floodlights are also a powerful deterrent IF you live in the sort of neighborhood where criminals wouldn't brazenly do the same thing in broad daylight. There are many "rough" neighborhoods where there's nonetheless an unspoken rule that even the criminal element doesn't prey on their own, or at least flood lights turning on at 3 a.m. would invite a lot of unwanted attention. You'd have to evaluate your own situation to decide whether these measures would be useful.

If your biggest fear is someone breaking in while you and your family are home, and your city/county/state/country allows it, consider getting a gun on top of these other measures, and most importantly, learn how to use it properly and develop a plan for what happens if someone breaks in while you're home. This basically never means that you lock and load and wander your house stalking bad guys. You also still have to set up your house to deal with potential robbers: Have an idea of the easiest and most likely points they would enter from, make sure their are loud alarms that would wake/warn you as soon as they start breaking in, have relatively strong internal doors that can be locked by whoever might hide in a particular room (usually bedrooms), and then make sure everyone knows what to do if that alarm goes off. The idea isn't to use the threat of death as a deterrent against burglary (although if someone does end up trying, it will probably do that as well.) Rather, the goal is to make sure everyone can stay safe behind a locked door until police arrive--the gun is only to make sure that if a robber decides for whatever reason to put in the time and effort to break through to a person, you can make sure he doesn't.

[Darth Credence]

A mastiff, or similar dog. If it is kids doing it for kicks, if they open a door and a 150 lb dog starts coming towards them, they are going to leave and find somewhere else. The only real reason to try to steal from a house with a big dog is if there is something specific to that location that the person is after. Otherwise, it is easier to not deal with it and move on.

Plus, you then have a mastiff, and that's a good thing.

[Keltest]

A mastiff, or similar dog. If it is kids doing it for kicks, if they open a door and a 150 lb dog starts coming towards them, they are going to leave and find somewhere else. The only real reason to try to steal from a house with a big dog is if there is something specific to that location that the person is after. Otherwise, it is easier to not deal with it and move on.

Plus, you then have a mastiff, and that's a good thing.

This was my thought as well. It doesnt even need to be particularly mean or aggressive, just big and loud.

[Wraith]

Upgrading your security doesn't necessarily mean bars on every window, but a number of small, relatively simple things working in concert - a deadbolt on your doors, latches on your windows, some of those cheap cameras that you can install yourself and link to your smartphone, that sort of thing. The idea isn't to turn your house into Fort Knox, but it's to make it look like it's far, far too much effort to break into, compared someone else's house.

If you want a motion sensor/alarm system, ask your local police for advice. They'll probably be able to recommend the good ones because they get to see all the ones that don't work so well. Certainly in the UK, where I'm from, police can even put you in touch with manufacturers/installers and ensure that they're well vetted too - it's in their best interest to make sure you get a good system, after all, as that's potentially one less call that they have to respond to in the future.

Keep your property well maintained. Keep your lawn mowed, repair any damage, paint your fence, etc - a house that looks like someone is there all the time, being monitored and taking note of suspicious activity will drive away casual burglars and make professional ones think twice.

If at all possible, keep your valuables off your property and in a safe-deposit at your bank. This won't work for your TV or your XBox of course, but any substantial amount of money or expensive jewellery that can be easily pocketed and sold on? It's safer in a bank, if only to make sure that if you are broken into then you limit how much stuff you lose.

A safe that can be lifted by two people and carried away to be smashed apart at their leisure, isn't safe. Get a proper one that can be built into a cement floor (NOT drywall) and anything not at the bank should be kept in there. Again, if a really determined burglar wants to smash a window and climb in through the gap then very little can stop them, but you can make sure that they don't get away with anything.

Use UV Marker Pens on any property that you can reasonably write your surname and Zip Code on - TV, XBox, bicycle, jewellery box, whatever. They're pretty cheap to buy, and if something is taken it's an easy way to prove that it's yours and thus point the police in the right direction.

And get a dog. Big ones are great, loud ones are just as good. Would-be intruders won't want to risk a dog barking and drawing attention to them, let alone the risk of getting bitten.

All of this is advice given to my godparents when they were burgled, though you can probably find it repeated elsewhere on Google along with other ideas. Very little of it is very expensive, and quite a bit is just about having good habits and just making sure that your home is as much effort and hassle to break into as possible.

[Vizzerdrix]

Bars, lights, and locks. Dogs that are not trained to guard are less than useless and just become something else to steal. Would you use a lock that can be bypassed with a stick of jerky? You would not, so don't rely on a dog.

Purchase and train with a few guns. A pistol and shotgun at least. Keep them where you need them. Stuffed in a closet under the photo albums is worse than not having them at all. Bedroom and kitchen are best. Remember, firearm training for the user, but firearm safety training for everyone in the house.

Keep your car clean. If someone breaks in it will be easier to get prints. If you are still worried, you can buy a boot and put it on at night.

[Khedrac]

Bars, lights, and locks. Dogs that are not trained to guard are less than useless and just become something else to steal. Would you use a lock that can be bypassed with a stick of jerky? You would not, so don't rely on a dog.

A dog that noisly welcomes anyone who comes near can be an effective deterrent even though not trained to guard.
That said, dogs are a large time and money commitment - I would not recommend a dog unless you already want one.

Purchase and train with a few guns. A pistol and shotgun at least. Keep them where you need them. Stuffed in a closet under the photo albums is worse than not having them at all. Bedroom and kitchen are best. Remember, firearm training for the user, but firearm safety training for everyone in the house.

This totally depends on your country's local laws - check before investing in any weapons for self defence. I think in some countries even having a baseball bat present specifically for defending yourself turns it into a weapon and mkes its use probably illegal. (Grabbing one that is stored with sports equipment for sport is OK, keeping it for defensive use makes it a weapon.)

Keep your car clean. If someone breaks in it will be easier to get prints. If you are still worried, you can buy a boot and put it on at night.

Yes and no - if the police are busy enough that they don't have time to deal with joyriding then there is no value in this.
If you car is stolen for parts it doesn't matter - you won't get it back with the prints.
A filthy car can make it less attractive to the joyriders to steal (even more for having a car that looks slow).
The best defence against car theives is having one that doesn't look worth stealing for either money or fun.

[ngilop]

I mean.. a security system won't stop a determined criminal....

Are you actually wanting to STOP them.. or just semi-deter them?

Going to echo the earlier statement of getting a firearm for self defense and protection. OF COURSE find and abide by local laws, they vary widely depending on the country and even different states/provinces within the same country.

I would steer one away from a shotgun and instead move you towards one of many brands of ARs. They are going to be easier to maneuver around your house and much easier to keep a accurate and consistent shot down range. People are going to say all kinds of crazy when it comes to home defense, you do not need a .44 magnum unless you think that people are going to be using body armor. Someone breaking into your house isn't going to say "oh thats just a .22, not a .45 or a 12 gauge; lets get him" they are going to go "oh crap we are being shot at!"

4 things to live by
1) Treat every firearm as if it is loaded
2) Never point the firearm at anything you are not willing to destroy
3) Keep your finger off the trigger until you are on target and are ready to fire
4) Be aware of your target and what may be behind and near it.

[Palanan]

Originally Posted by Wraith
...some of those cheap cameras that you can install yourself and link to your smartphone, that sort of thing.

I was just about to post on a similar issue. Can you recommend some cameras along the lines you mentioned?

[Trafalgar]

Do you have renter's or homeowner's insurance? If your answer is no, that is your first.

As for everyone saying "Buy a gun", let me point out that most burglaries happen when no one is home. Thieves are smart enough to not enter a home if they know someone is inside, especially in a country where you can legally own a gun. A lot of break ins happen during the day when people are at work. That AR15 you just bought for >$1,000 will be just another thing for someone to steal if you are not there.

The other suggestions (security system, installing bars, keeping your car clean, etc) are all good. I suggest getting with your neighbors and talking to them about it. When I lived in Alabama, there were a couple of break-ins in my neighborhood. We had a neighborhood meeting and agreed to to keep an eye out and call the police with anything suspicious. I worked night shift at the time and was woken up by yelling at about 1130 AM one morning. When I went outside, I saw my neighbor Theresa was yelling at this guy in a pick up truck parked in front of my house. She thought he was casing the house. We called the cops but the guy took off before they arrived. I don't know what that guys intentions were but if he was a criminal, that kind of vigilance will make him think twice about targeting that street. The key is making your house look like a harder target than everyone else', your neighborhood look like a harder target than everyone else's.

[Peelee]

As for everyone saying "Buy a gun", let me point out that most burglaries happen when no one is home. Thieves are smart enough to not enter a home if they know someone is inside, especially in a country where you can legally own a gun. A lot of break ins happen during the day when people are at work. That AR15 you just bought for >$1,000 will be just another thing for someone to steal if you are not there.

Seconding this. If you are home, a properly stored gun is not going to be helpful. If you are not home, a properly stored gun is not going to be stolen. A gun is not an ideal solution here. Any gun that is easily accessible on a moment's notice in a very unlikely burglary scenario is a gun that is easily stolen on a moment's notice in a much more likely burglary scenario.

[Bartmanhomer]

Seconding this. If you are home, a properly stored gun is not going to be helpful. If you are not home, a properly stored gun is not going to be stolen. A gun is not an ideal solution here. Any gun that is easily accessible on a moment's notice in a very unlikely burglary scenario is a gun that is easily stolen on a moment's notice in a much more likely burglary scenario.

I agree. Also, a gun can be a very serious situation but in a burglary scenario, it's very unlikely to some extent.

[Sermil]

I agree. Also, a gun can be a very serious situation but in a burglary scenario, it's very unlikely to some extent.

Also, I've personally seen someone almost get shot because they went to the kitchen for a late-night snack and someone else thought they were a burglar. A gun you don't really know how to use is worse than no gun at all.

And, of course, people have gotten shot because someone armed (criminal or police with a no-knock warrant) entered the house, the homeowner started shooting, and they returned fire.

So, be careful of guns.

[Bartmanhomer]

Also, I've personally seen someone almost get shot because they went to the kitchen for a late-night snack and someone else thought they were a burglar. A gun you don't really know how to use is worse than no gun at all.

And, of course, people have gotten shot because someone armed (criminal or police with a no-knock warrant) entered the house, the homeowner started shooting, and they returned fire.

So, be careful of guns.

Exactly. People don't know how to use a gun properly and their thoughtless mistakes are the cause to shoot the wrong people.

[Peelee]

And, of course, people have gotten shot because someone armed entered the house, the homeowner started shooting, and they returned fire.

Don't cause no shot, won't be no shot?

[Bartmanhomer]

Well, I don't need to worry about burglars in my neighborhood and I've been living in New York City for my whole life (35 years). I never once encounters any burglaries in my neighborhood and even my home because I live in an apartment building and my neighborhood is very safe.

[Tvtyrant]

1. Live with enough people that burglars don't get an opening. This will always be the most effective, but requires changing your living standards.

Biometric locked handgun triggers are good if you fear entry while at home, keeps kids and other adults out of your gun. Also expensive though, so you be the judge.

2. Big, angry dogs. Dogs are bad at killing but good at hearing and hurting people, making them good defenses while a pet Cougar would get a body count. A donkey or llama is actually better then a dog but might have zoning problems.

3. Static stuff like locks and cameras.

Active defenses are always better then static ones, the best defense is more people. Of course then you increase the chance of stealing from each other..

[Peelee]

3. Static stuff like locks and cameras.

Active defenses are always better then static ones, the best defense is more people. Of course then you increase the chance of stealing from each other..

Locks are fantastic deterrents. Petty burglars typically just want an easy mark and a quick in-and-out. An unlocked door is infinitely preferable to a locked door. If the camera is very visible, that's nice, but they could still miss it, making it a possible non-deterrent. Cameras are great for evidence if the guy ever gets caught, but not as good as preventing it to start with.

[lio45]

{scrubbed}

[Xyril]

A donkey or llama is actually better then a dog but might have zoning problems.

This is a terrible idea. For every burglar you you deter, you'll attract five who always wanted to have their own donkey or llama, and otherwise would have left your house alone.

[Bohandas]

I'd like to offer a good answer, but unfortunately all I can think of is Home Alone

[Tvtyrant]

This is a terrible idea. For every burglar you you deter, you'll attract five who always wanted to have their own donkey or llama, and otherwise would have left your house alone.

That is a lot of shattered pelvises, it is true.

The farms near my exes house have them, people underestimate how big a donkey is and how vicious. It is like being chased by a strongman wearing bone gloves.

[Ajustusdaniel]

This is a terrible idea. For every burglar you you deter, you'll attract five who always wanted to have their own donkey or llama, and otherwise would have left your house alone.

Nah, if they're there to steal a llama, that's not a burglar. That's a no-account, lowdown, yellow-bellied, gol-dabbit, livestock russlin' varmint.

[Peelee]

Nah, if they're there to steal a llama, that's not a burglar. That's a no-account, lowdown, yellow-bellied, gol-dabbit, livestock russlin' varmint.

What if theyre there to steal a varmint?

[Ajustusdaniel]

What if theyre there to steal a varmint?

Hmm. I think a varmint is definitionally a critter what you don't want round these parts, so if they're taking it away, I think that makes them do-gooders.

[Trafalgar]

Four or five Peacocks will do the trick!

[Xyril]

Lock your windows and doors at all times; even when you leave briefly, are outside on your property, or inside your home.

I know that in practice nobody from this forum is going to randomly travel across state lines to burgle someone else here, but I find it fun that a poster on the "how to stop burglars" thread listed a street address.

[ForzaFiori]

2. Big, angry dogs. Dogs are bad at killing but good at hearing and hurting people, making them good defenses while a pet Cougar would get a body count. A donkey or llama is actually better then a dog but might have zoning problems.

If we're going to the realm of ridiculous guard animals, I have to put my vote behind an emu or ostrich. Those things are basically still dinosaurs as far as I'm concerned, and I think most people would IMMEDIATELY rethink every life-choice they made if they broke into a house and wound up being charged by one or with one right in their face.

On more realistic notes, it's amazing how much even a simple sticker other sign claiming that your house has security can help. It's kind of like running away from a bear - you just have to be harder to break into than the person next to you. If you're the only house in the neighborhood that even seems like it might be protected, most burglarers would just hit another house nearby.

If you want to go further, you can get things like a real security system (you can find cameras almost anywhere that sells electronics - I think even WalMart has a home security aisle in their electronics section now), a large dog (even if you don't train it for security, if you don't get it in the habit if being friendly with strangers it will probably be loud enough to both alert you and scare the burglar), or a weapon (please, PLEASE get proper training for yourself and anyone else in your house if you do this), but if things are that bad, you should be focused as much on mitigation as protection. Make sure you have good records of all your valuables and their worth, make sure you have adequate homeowners or renters insurance, have the serial numbers of any electronics wrote down somewhere, get a good, hard to steal safe for your valuable papers, etc. That way, you're prepared in the eventuality that the protections fail.