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Just asking and doing a bit of a straw poll after an incident yesterday
We got a call off our neighbour at about 11 on Sunday morning. They'd just discovered that their car keys were missing and on going outside, so was the car. The police were called and it turns out they weren't alone. There were two gone on our road and three in the next street.
The area had obviously been targetted and the scrotes must have been going down the road trying doors to see if they were locked or if windows were open. If they could, they were coming in and specifically looking for car keys and then driving the car off. All this while people were in the house.
This all happened between 8-10 am on a Sunday morning. Thats pretty bloody hard-faced
As we've never had anything like this before, I have to admit that we'd got a bit blase about security
So would you think to keep your doors locked while you're in the house?
Yes, front door is always locked when I am in the house. It's a habit to get in and lock the door behind me, always has been.
Yes - for just this very reason.
Yep for exactly the same reason, our back door is well secluded and would not be hard to nip in. THere's been a few breakins of that nature in our street over the last few years and afew cars gone so we always keep that door locked. And the garage as well with the dobermans elastic band on his balls firmly installed so he is angry.
Yep - always locked when in the house. Lad at work had both his and wifes car nicked this way. I'd been doing it for years prior to that mind.
Yeah, we always do - we live in a fairly busy area next to a shopping street, with all sorts of folk walking past all the time, so it's just a habit we've got into. We do keep a key near(ish) both the front and back doors for emergencies though.
Yup, front door always locked.
Rear door locked too, but they would have to jump the gate (always locked) and navigate 2 frothing dogs to get near the house.
In fact, no one can get near the house without the dogs alerting us. If someone steps foot on the drive, we know about it. Probably don't need to lock the front 😀
Always - we also have a chime on the alarm system that sounds whenever an external door is opened.
Having said that, I do live in a post industrial apocalyptic wasteland
Nope, front door is always unlocked if we're in, even at night. Came home yesterday evening after a night away to find the garage door open because something had fallen by the inside of the door and tripped the sensor, could have been that way for over 24 hours. Wifey's returned home at lunchtime before now to find the front door wide open, because we'd left together that morning, and each thought the other was closing and locking the door. Guess we live in a pretty safe area, or we're very lucky, or both...
Nope, i never lock my doors or check to see if my windows are shut but i live in a quiet galloway town so my experiences may not be relatable, Last time i locked my door was back in may when i took off to aviemore for a week.
Yes.
Nope. Only when I go to bed. Nearly always leave the door unlocked when I pop to the Tesco Express too (it's the type of door that doesn't lock automatically when you shut it).
Went out all day with my mate on Saturday and got home to find the back door was unlocked too.
This is the place where I accidentally left a bike out, propped up against the garage wall all night and it was still there in the morning. Not a lot of crime round my way.
Yes. Always locked, has to be unfortunately.
No, only when going to bed.
In Weymouth yes.
Daytime in Oxfordshire no. A lot of people in the house most of the time, but if I'm in the back end of the orchard (not mine!) and there are only a couple of folk around I lock up.
nope. and at my in-laws place the best place to find a set of car keys is generally in the car.
Yes always locked - but I leave the keys in it in case of fire and I have to get out (only one door - although I guess I could always go over the balcony).
I have thought about the car keys, however I live on my own so if somebody breaks into the house and that is all it will take to get them gone, they can have my car!
Never used to, do now (front door moreso) because
1) my folks had a strange experiance whereby they came down one morning to find a strange bloke had walked in and gone to sleep on their sofa after getting confused after too many beers.
2) we have a child who is just tall enough to reach door handles and is getting to grips with opening them
Not a good idea to come onto an interweb forum and tell the whole world you don't lock your doors.
Always but then I do live on my own.
Yes, as despite having to Terriers downstairs that let me know everytime someone walks past the Bay Window, I work up in the Loft, so buy the time I'd come down brandishing a 9 iron, the scrote would be Long gone..
Yes, always.
Only at night - but then we live miles from anywhere really.
Not a good idea to come onto an interweb forum and tell the whole world you don’t lock your doors.
Exactly, and for that reason mine are always locked (honest)
Yes, ever since a complete stranger walked into my house. He'd made an honest mistake and thought he knew the occupants! He was mortified and very apologetic, but he could have been a complete nut case!
Not a good idea to come onto an interweb forum and tell the whole world you don’t lock your doors.
Our doors are always locked, as is the back gate. I've lived in considerably less salubrious areas than I do now, so its just habit. Seems like there are a few neighbours who don't lock theirs. I'm sure they will now.
This is the place where I accidentally left a bike out, propped up against the garage wall all night and it was still there in the morning. Not a lot of crime round my way.
I've done this too. Got distracted after getting back from a night ride, got up in the morning and looked out of the window to see my bike still leaniing on the wall outside
Not a good idea to come onto an interweb forum and tell the whole world you don’t lock your doors
There's paranoia and there's paranoia.
I remember in the 80s, we used to leave our cars unlocked too.
Then I looked out the window one day and my car door was wide open, someone had nicked all my cassettes. Always locked em after that. But then this was in Leigh Park.
Only to stop my toddler escaping.
yes ever since the mad next door neighbour with the highlighter pen eyebrows thought i'd stolen his wife (he didnt have a wife) walked in on dinner one day.
Any word on the Creedance Dezzy....
Yes, I forgot a few times but have had strangers wander in twice so after that I made sure I remembered.
We have a lot of foreign guys living on my street and it seems they are very open with their houses where their mates just walk in. problem is when you live on a terraced street where all the house look the same they do sometimes get the wrong house.
Never seemed malicious though,both times came across as a genuine mistake.
we have a snib. A little latch that flicks down to stop people opening the door. We also have a chime on the door.
Always, as I walk in the door gets locked behind me. Garage and back door also always locked, unless I'm either on the garden or in the garage.
Yes, a) I got used to a locked door due to the latch and it felt weird in the next place to have an unlocked door, b) shortly after we moved in, an incoherent hoodie spent 10 minutes kicking our door as he couldn't get in, c) where we live has a bit of a reputation, although it's slowly being gentrified, d) stories like the ops. Still get comments as if we're a bit weird and obsessive about it, as if locking the door is a big deal 🙄
Doors always locked and we have entry alarms on the front and back doors - i.e. our house alarm beeps if we open either door.
Living in Salford, this is mandatory! We've also recently invested in composite doors. Standard UPVC stuff is weak as shit.
Always, it's just force of habit. I grew up in a house where the front door locked automatically every time it was closed so you kind of got used to always going out with the key and having to unlock it to get in.
My grandparents were completely the opposite - every morning they'd open the front door and then just leave the porch door closed (but unlocked). The porch door was so unsecure it may as well not have been there but they were of the generation where it was common to just knock as you entered and call out to the occupant. They only stopped doing it after about the third intrusion where they found some random bloke going through cupboards and drawers in an unoccupied room.
No, I don't bother, saves the drug cops smashing it in with their bid red key.
Not a good idea to come onto an interweb forum and tell the whole world you don’t lock your doors.
There are two types of reader of said forum:
- people who know where I live, all (actually, both 🙂 ) of whom are friends in The Real World
- people who don't know where I live
I think I'll be fine.
We’ve also recently invested in composite doors. Standard UPVC stuff is weak as shit.
What kind? Most comp doors are wood frame and foam, and not especially secure. Obvs there are a few places that do wooden ones that are a lot sturdier. Though they need to be paired with a decent lock.
Yes, proch dor only locked at night, but inner door locks when shut too.
I have a normal yale type lock on the front door so it locks automatically. I don't put the chubb on at night though, only when we leave the house
Back door is usually locked when we're in, but not always
Nah but i can never find my keys so if they've probably earned it if they do!
I grew up in a house where the front door locked automatically every time it was closed so you kind of got used to always going out with the key and having to unlock it to get in.
Errr ... this.
Never had a front door that doesn't lock you out if it closes.
A front door that you have to lock manually*... what is this madness ?
* You have to manually lock the dead bolts obvs
Yes, but that's because it means I know where my keys are and have to have them in my hand before I can leave.