Burglar alarms

I’ve never bothered before because I’ve never had anything that you couldn’t go to the shop and replace fairly cheaply.

The surveyors report recommended installing an alarm and I think it’s that that’s given me the jitters!

Because it’s a totally new area to me I have no idea if burglary is a problem.

In the area I’ve just left people left their doors and windows open all day (and night)and nothing ever happened!

Our local Neighbourhood Watch PC advises they are a huge deterrent.
We had one but following a flooded house it stopped working, We still have the box though at the front though & the little lights still flash in rooms which can be seen from outside.
One of these days I must get it fixed. One of my neighbours also has a video camera thing which I am considering as we do live in a very quiet cul de sac.

I had one once, it was a pain, went off when the battery needed changing and we had to call the specialists out. It was wired in btw. My experience is that alarms are a nuisance to neighbours. I am not having one in my new build even though the wiring is there. I would rather have cctv if I feel unsafe, which I doubt. Depends where you live obviously

We have a proper alarm which is serviced every year and it has never gone off when it shouldn't. What I find useful is that we can part-set it (to just cover the doors) when we go to bed in case we've forgotten to lock any of them. I found that particularly comforting after waking up in the middle of the night a few years ago to see a man walking up and down the driveways opposite and trying the side doors to see if they were open!

I’ve always had burglar alarms, our present house is in the country and the alarm for me is a necessity. Our neighbours are very good and have phoned us previously when it went off for no apparent reason. The alarm makes me feel secure at night times too..... except when little grandchildren get up extra early and wander downstairs !!

A big YES. Hopefully you may never have to experience a break in but unless you are one of the rich and famous whose alarms do not seem to deter the 'professionals' then your average 'chancer' will be put of by the sight your property has an alarm system.
Some of these alarms can send a signal to your local police station that there is an intruder and it may be a false alarm but 'better safe than sorry'.
Tough if the 'locals' are 'miffed' by the sight of your alarm. That is their problem so get in touch with a reputable company who will advise what is best for you.

We lived near a house with an alarm. They were broken into several times. Turned out (police told us) they knew how long they had after the alarm went off before security arrived. Youth was caught with a street map showing alarm and time. Our house was marked with an X2, to show to leave us alone as we had 2 large dogs!

We, too, have not had our alarm go off without cause and our current one has been installed for over 20 years.

The problem with accidental soundings was a problem when alarms were first introduced, but it is very rare nowadays.

I cannot see the point of CCTV, what good is it if you are not in the house at the time. I want to stop a breakin at the time it hapens- as our alarm has twice. Not view it in detail after the event when the house has been burgled. What is the point in watching happen from elsewhere, especially if you are abroad. By the time you can contact the police and they have investigated, assuming they do, once again it is too late.

I am surprised your neighbours have had the problem you mention Borntosew, the noise our alarm makes in the house would drive any intruder out- or stop them coming in, once activated, its pitch and volume is agonising on the ears. We had to sit through it for an hour and a half (with a cushion to each ear), when a squirrel ate through the wiring one night. The alarm only went off in the house, thankfully, so we were the only people affected.

We, too, have not had our alarm go off without cause and our current one has been installed for over 20 years.

The problem with accidental soundings was a problem when alarms were first introduced, but it is very rare nowadays.

I cannot see the point of CCTV, what good is it if you are not in the house at the time? I want to stop a break in at the time it happens- as our alarm has twice. Not view it in detail after the event when the house has been burgled. What is the point in watching it happen from elsewhere, especially if you are abroad? By the time you can contact the police and they have investigated, assuming they do, once again it is too late.

I am surprised your neighbours have had the problem you mention Borntosew, the noise our alarm makes in the house would drive any intruder out- or stop them coming in, once activated, its pitch and volume is agonising on the ears. We had to sit through it for an hour and a half (with a cushion to each ear), when a squirrel ate through the wiring one night. The alarm only went off in the house, thankfully, so we were the only people affected.

If it will make you feel safer, definitely you should get a burglar alarm. It may also make the premium on your home insurance cheaper - ask your insurance company about that.

Perhaps have a word with the local crime prevention squad at the police. They should be able to advise you as to whether a burglar alarm is a good idea in your area, or just and added expense.

Perhaps you would consider a small safe to keep jewellery, passport etc, in. If so try to find some place a thief won't think to look for it, to place it in.

I can't understand why everyone hasnt got an alarm .I put mine on all the time when I leave the house and at night. It gives me piece of mind .

It might help reduce your insurance premium and many people say it’s a deterrent to a would be burgler

Have had one for years. When I worked in a Magistrates court it was commonly assumed that the n'er do wells would go for the easy option ie no alarm. In our last home we lived next door to a farm. Window cleaner one day got a shock when he set off alarm and neighbour and 6ft 2in son turned up with guns over their arms! Hasten to add they had been shooting rabbits and all perfectly legal!

Oh SalsaQueen, I hope you reduced the cat-sitters payment by 27 minutes per session! What a cheek!

I have a burglar alarm in the hope it will discourage any attempts. If it goes off I am alerted on my mobile phone and if not nearby I contact a neighbour who has a key and can switch it off. Never needed so far. Also have a security camera which again I can view via phone. Many feel if you have an alarm it's because there is something valuable to be had. Many are like myself and feel it would help deter.

I think burglar alarms can act as a deterrent, even if they're not set. I also think it's important not to have easy access to the rear of your property, and a "beware of the dog" sign can be useful, even if you don't have one! I'm not sure about CCTV cameras. When I see them I wonder whether it is a risky neighbourhood, or are there neighbour disputes? Would be put off buying a house with CCTV for example.

Like Sparklefizz we have special sensors in the basement so that we can leave the cat down there when we are out. Our cat is 19 so unlikely to climb the curtains and there is nowhere else in the room that is high enough to activate the sensor!
We don't set the alarm at night, although it is possible to activate everywhere but the bedroom floor using a key fob.
We've been burgled in the past in other houses and I must admit that I like the reassurance of knowing that the house is alarmed when we are out or away. One of our neighbours has a front door key and the code for the alarm.
It did go off once during the day when a courier shook a side door by throwing a parcel - all the neighbourhood were outside when we came home.

We were burgled many years ago and as the horse had bolted we had an alarm installed. At the subsequent 3 homes it’s been one of the first things we’ve purchased. I’m not entirely sure if anyone would respond to the bell but it makes me feel more secure and according to the police a burglar is more likely to choose an unalarmed house to one displaying a working alarm.

New homes with their modern locks are much more secure than older homes.

So, if you didn’t see a need for an alarm on your old home I would suggest that you have even less need for an alarm on a new one.

I must admit though that until we moved into our new home and became comfortable with the neighbourhood we had an alarm.

Now we never use it.

When we lived in a London suburb (high crime rates) we had an alarm system and set it every time we went out. We were never burgled although our neighbours were.

When we moved to the country we took it with us and fitted it. Our neighbours were most amused and told us people here rarely lock their doors or shut windows and everyone watches out for each other. We soon realised very few homes had alarms. It is now so long since we have set it when going out that I can't even remember how to do it. But it does give us a discount on our home insurance and it is a visual deterrent. A good dummy alarm could also be a deterrent. The only time it triggers is when there's a power cut and every time a neighbour has popped round to check on us. Base your decision on the area you live in and whether it will give you more peace of mind to have an alarm.

With four break ins or attempted breakins over our lifetime where the cost of repairing the damage done to the house trying to get in far exceeded the cost of anything stolen, I will rely on the alarm, visible on the outside of the house to do its job.

What matters is not the strength and complexity of the locks but the strength of the window or door frame. We have had window frames smashed and broken out around locks that remained firmly locked.

Nobody reacts really....the house opposite ours with an alarm that’s forever ‘going off’. We now ignore it....it’s like the boy crying wolf....too many alarms going off all the time. There’s nobody listening anymore. Get an empty box...just as off-putting maybe.

You are right about frames MOnica. Our house was burgled some years ago (no alarm) and the back door frame and panel were kicked in. The police seem to manage when raiding houses and batter doors open, even double glazed ones!

Around us people do react because we do not have any going off unnecessarily. Most, if not all of them, were professionally installed by reputable installers and are service regularly.

I’ve never bothered before because I’ve never had anything that you couldn’t go to the shop and replace fairly cheaply.

Eglantine For me it's not that I have valuable goods that would cost a lot to replace but the bad feeling that someone had been in my house and invaded my space .... and having once been married to a detective, I know that sometimes an intruder will vandalise the place, wee on your bed or whatever, just for the sake of it.