Back door warning

I always try to keep the backdoor locked if I am not about in the kitchen.

The keys will be in a kitchen drawer though so if needed in an emergency they can be grabbed to get out through the back door.

Oh Anya! your dog has terrified me!

As a social worker I have on several ocassions seated the visitor at the end of the room and myself near the open interview room door or had a minder with me. In newer offices the doors for the staff opened outwards. Panic buttons under the desks.

Many years ago I walked into my kitchen just as a man stepped in from outside. I said, "who the hell are you?" And he said " Sorry love, I've come about the cooker, looks like its the wrong house." I yelled, "Get the hell out of here! " and he scarpered. It was such a shock and the back door is always locked now, even in a heatwave.

Blimey number have you checked there isn't a sign offering free beer outside your house?

I always kept the back door locked in our old home, and often locked my poor other half out, because I went indoors and automatically locked the door! After locking him out several times, he always made sure he had his front door key with him when gardening. Here, we do leave our back door open quite a lot, certainly in the summer time, and sometimes way into the late evening. I think it is something we must think about in future.

To be honest a lot of simple precautions over home security make a lot of difference. It can certainly help prevent opportunist thefts etc but if someone is determined to break in they will manage it.

I was very suprised, when a friend of mine had her bag stolen in Asda, that she had just left her hand bag tucked underneath the shopping bags in the trolley.
I wear my bag across my body and usually zipped up. At least makes it a little bit harder to grab and run off with (and it saves hunching a shoulder!)

I still see a lot of handbags in supermarket trolleys.

My neighbour had her handbag stolen from her kitchen table once. She was so shocked that someone could just get in and take it from under her nose like that, especially as her house is mid-terraced. The Police thought that the thief would have started at one end of the terrace, and jumped/climbed over the garden walls to try all the houses. We are at the end of the terrace and our door would have been locked (with a large dog in the house!) because we were both at work.
Nelliem I too always wear my bag across my body - it has a front clasp
, so it gets worn back to front! I am amazed at the number of bags I see in supermarket trolleys - often open with purse, car keys etc fully on view. And often in an unwatched trolley, while the owner is perusing the shelves

I would never leave my purse in my bag, but always used to carry it in my hand, till one DIL and 2 daughters told me off several times, I now have cross body bags, worn underneath my coat, unless it`s a hot day and no coat.
Anya, I don`t think there`s a free beer sign, but there must be an as yet unspotted sign that says dump your beer cans and spirit bottles down our passage!

I always lock my back door, and am glad I do as someone came to the front door last week, saying he was delivering a bathroom suite, when I said I hadn't ordered one he asked me to confirm my address etc and said yes that was the right one, but when I asked to see the paperwork he said it was in the van and made a quick retreat, there was no van in sight. I immediately thought of the back door, luckily it was locked, but I would love to have had the double protection of Anya's dog (who seems to be hanging from the ceiling) for comfort.

Last year we had parked up to walk the dog in a quiet spot. Car boot was up as we had changed into Wellingtons and I put my handbag in there out of sight.

A you g pleasant family with 3 children parked and the husband asked my husband where to walk as they were new to the area.
There was a hedge in front of the car and DH walked to the front of the car to show him the way. They talked on and on so I with dog started to stroll towards the river. DH eventually joined me and we mentioned it was strange that they hadn't followed us.

Got back to car and handbag gone. Women must have taken it whilst man was keeping DH talking.'
Always take bag with me now which is annoying.

Re back door keys, we never leave ours in the door. It is on a keyring that only the family know and left in a place we all know in the house. I've often heard of folk having windows broken, and they then reach round and turn the key, once back door is open they empty your house.
Unfortunately, where I live, there have been two instances of neighbours being broken into while they have still been in the house,so I don't have my front or back door unlocked - ever. Unless I am working in the front or back garden, but if I am out front back door is locked and vice versa.

We are also in the process of having 80 flats built near our street and since that will be a whole lot of people I don't know, there is no option for me to have any of my doors unlocked.

My area is an ok street but with some dodgy bits locally. I just would never take the chance. Even our local Health Centre is like a fortress with shutters etc when closed. If you have an evening appointment, you are admitted through an intercom system.I do think though Health Centres have slightly different security issues due to medicines and drugs being held there.