Cat Burglar

[chiang mai]

Nothing new in this but it's worth noting:

Fast asleep at 04:30 and I awake having heard something but not sure what, Mrs CM does the same. Someone is on our bedroom balcony (on the first floor) and is trying to get into our bedroom. Mrs CM shouts something or other and I finally wake up enough to see the shadow of man and then I hear our screen doors start to open - I shout something or other (I'm embarrassed to tell you that I think I actually shouted, hello?) and he takes off into the night.

As stated, there's nothing new in all of this but some aspects surprised me. The first is that he quite clearly was not going to back off after Mrs CM shouted at him and only did so when he heard my voice. The second is that our first floor balcony is an almost impossible climb, because of the way our home is built it;s almost twenty feet from the balcony to the ground with no obvious means of getting onto it from the outside.

Only the squeaky screen door saved us from something potentially more nasty. So, if anyone is feeling complacent about their home security, perhaps time to give it a critical second look?

[hackerthai]

We are new here and heard of Thai burglars entering our friends house too (open bathroom window). Picked up keys and drove their car away.

Do bars on all the windows and doors deter Thai intruders? We like to sleep with windows open but don't want people entering and wondering around.

[ScubaBuddha]

Wow. Glad to here you guys are OK. Scary stuff. I live in a house on stilts and have always taken some comfort in knowing that anyone wanting in would have a more difficult time, but maybe not. The landlord has also installed several video cameras around the property which record 24hrs and I can monitor via the internet, which is kinda cool.

Whenever I hear these stories I wonder what the consequences would be if you managed to kill the intruder, which I would have no qualms doing, especially now hearing that he was willing to keep coming even after Mrs. CM yelled at him. One less scumbag to worry about. It the states, for the most part, you can do this without much problem.

You didn't say, was the door he was trying to come in unlocked then?

SB

Edited August 23, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[thrilled]

Your wrong about alot of the states.the more liberal states you'll go to jail.A lot of the states the intruder has to be threatening you with A weapon for you to do bodily harm to him.Even then you might wind up in prison.

[ScubaBuddha]

Your wrong about alot of the states.the more liberal states you'll go to jail.A lot of the states the intruder has to be threatening you with A weapon for you to do bodily harm to him.Even then you might wind up in prison.

I am not wrong, I said "for the most part." You are correct in that not all states are the same. In most states, however (and many countries) it is legal to use deadly force against someone who is not authorized to be in your home. (They call them "Make My Day" laws) In those few states that it is not, it is your word against his, and he is dead. It's not often the resident is charged with anything. When he is, it is big news. I'm not talking about shooting him in the back as he is fleeing across the yard, (unless your in Texas, Florida or Colorado maybe.) As long as the force used isn't “grossly disproportionate”. e.g. you cannot lay traps or cross over into retribution. A person braking into my house is by my definition, threatening me. Remember too they are usually desperate addicts willing to go to great lengths for money for a fix. I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

And one other thing, NO state requires the burglar possess a weapon before you can do bodily harm to him. Fists are weapons.

Edited August 23, 2009 by Scubabuddha

[lordofdelusion]

When are you going to leave that area like your smart neighbors did?

Patong is an unsafe place at best and that area has been a thief's paradise.

Glad you and yours are safe.

[chiang mai]

When are you going to leave that area like your smart neighbors did?

Patong is an unsafe place at best and that area has been a thief's paradise.

Glad you and yours are safe.

Remind me again how many places there are to find good somtam in Tennessee?

[chiang mai]

Wow. Glad to here you guys are OK. Scary stuff. I live in a house on stilts and have always taken some comfort in knowing that anyone wanting in would have a more difficult time, but maybe not. The landlord has also installed several video cameras around the property which record 24hrs and I can monitor via the internet, which is kinda cool.

Whenever I hear these stories I wonder what the consequences would be if you managed to kill the intruder, which I would have no qualms doing, especially now hearing that he was willing to keep coming even after Mrs. CM yelled at him. One less scumbag to worry about. It the states, for the most part, you can do this without much problem.

You didn't say, was the door he was trying to come in unlocked then?

SB

We both like to sleep with the sliding glass doors open about one or two feet but with the screen doors closed and latched - we felt comfortable doing so because the balcony is quite high up and we thought, difficult to access from the outside, not any more.

[chiang mai]

We are new here and heard of Thai burglars entering our friends house too (open bathroom window). Picked up keys and drove their car away.

Do bars on all the windows and doors deter Thai intruders? We like to sleep with windows open but don't want people entering and wondering around.

Something similar happened to us about nine months ago - someone came in thru a fairly high side window, went down the stairs past where we were sleeping and grabbed a few items before leaving by the front door. From the evidence we found afterwards it seems the intruder paused outside the front door, just long enough to go thru Mrs CM's handbag and then took off for the parking lot. He had my car keys and rifled the car but seemingly didn't know how to drive (or maybe he didn't care for Honda's) because he left the keys on the ground next to the car.

Bars on windows and doors do work but you should remember that the things that prevent other from getting in, prevent you from getting out also!

[lordofdelusion]

When are you going to leave that area like your smart neighbors did?

Patong is an unsafe place at best and that area has been a thief's paradise.

Glad you and yours are safe.

Remind me again how many places there are to find good somtam in Tennessee?

There are literally Thai people everywhere! No kidding!!

[ScubaBuddha]

CM, I showed your post to the GF, she told the story about how when she was living in a house on the beach road in Patong a few years ago with the boss and boss's kids, (same boss you know) a burglar came in, walked through the living room where she and the kids were sleeping, but woke up the boss and boss wife when trying the upstairs bedroom doors, then ran out again past all the sleeping bodies. Bosses wife was yelling, "Didn't you see the man come in?" None of them saw him come in, or run out, they all slept through it!!! Scary stuff. It seems like everyone has a story like this. These guys are probably committing dozens of burglaries each every night. Just too lucrative for them. I am out late often and see lotsa guys that look like potential burglars to me, not just in their appearance, but in their behavior too.

[KarenBravo]

I am out late often and see lotsa guys that look like potential burglars to me, not just in their appearance, but in their behavior too.

So, what does a burglar look like? Curious as I can never tell just by appearance.

[KarenBravo]

Maybe it's the stripey T-shirt, black mask and the bag with Swag written on it that's the giveaway?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

[ScubaBuddha]

I am out late often and see lotsa guys that look like potential burglars to me, not just in their appearance, but in their behavior too.

So, what does a burglar look like? Curious as I can never tell just by appearance.

Yeah, striped shirt and black hat...oh wait...that's the ham burglur.

Seriously, though, profiling is not difficult. It's 4am, they are wearing dark clothes, walk or ride their motorbike with no purpose, and seem extra concerned about who is around them. It's also the body English. As I mentioned earlier they are usually drug addicts, which once you know what to look for, are not hard to spot them. It's not 100% of course, but sometimes you can tell. I spent a lot of time back home doing this as a cop and it was never really surprising when you pull the car over or stop someone and they have burglary tools in their car or backpack. Almost a nightly occurrence.

[johnboy72]

Your wrong about alot of the states.the more liberal states you'll go to jail.A lot of the states the intruder has to be threatening you with A weapon for you to do bodily harm to him.Even then you might wind up in prison.

I am not wrong, I said "for the most part." You are correct in that not all states are the same. In most states, however (and many countries) it is legal to use deadly force against someone who is not authorized to be in your home. (They call them "Make My Day" laws) In those few states that it is not, it is your word against his, and he is dead. It's not often the resident is charged with anything. When he is, it is big news. I'm not talking about shooting him in the back as he is fleeing across the yard, (unless your in Texas, Florida or Colorado maybe.) As long as the force used isn't “grossly disproportionate”. e.g. you cannot lay traps or cross over into retribution. A person braking into my house is by my definition, threatening me. Remember too they are usually desperate addicts willing to go to great lengths for money for a fix. I'd rather be judged by twelve than carried by six.

And one other thing, NO state requires the burglar possess a weapon before you can do bodily harm to him. Fists are weapons.

Now that depends if your standing outside in line with the oncoming vehicle.. (gown, slippers, coffee optional).

[johnboy72]

We are new here and heard of Thai burglars entering our friends house too (open bathroom window). Picked up keys and drove their car away.

Do bars on all the windows and doors deter Thai intruders? We like to sleep with windows open but don't want people entering and wondering around.

Something similar happened to us about nine months ago - someone came in thru a fairly high side window, went down the stairs past where we were sleeping and grabbed a few items before leaving by the front door. From the evidence we found afterwards it seems the intruder paused outside the front door, just long enough to go thru Mrs CM's handbag and then took off for the parking lot. He had my car keys and rifled the car but seemingly didn't know how to drive (or maybe he didn't care for Honda's) because he left the keys on the ground next to the car.

Bars on windows and doors do work but you should remember that the things that prevent other from getting in, prevent you from getting out also!

Glad you guys are ok, though have to ask if these two incidents happened at the same address?

If so, could be he tried his luck a 2nd time after a successful 1st attempt.

Still, glad you scared him off.

[Valentine]

I see potential burglars quite often during the day riding around housing estates looking intently at all the homes. We have a medium size dog which helps & every Thai who has come to the house on offical business will not go in the gate until the dog has been secured. There have been many burglaries in the estate & so far, touch wood, we have been spared. A few years ago when I was out of town the neighbours (who were away on holiday) house was in the process of being burgled when a group of Thai guys at a party next door jumped the wall & beat the crap out of him before calling the police. It turns out the burglar had a gun so it could have been quite nasty especially as my wife & kids, amongst others, were watching the fiasco over the wall.

[chiang mai]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

We already have an alarm, complete with flasher but it's only configured for the downstairs - it's useful to have because it wakes us and let's us know when the burglars are leaving!

[jaapfries]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

Right-On, HD - not only that, but, as a small and inexpensive addition, I strongly suggest "Panic-Buttons". In my house I have them everywhere: in the bathrooms, besides the beds, in the kitchen and the living room. All is well when you're both home, but what is my wife going to do when I am workig late ? ? She feels totally safe with this system, because she knows that when she hits any of these buttons; litterally "All hel_l Breaks Loose" ! ! ! It would be a very brve and equally stupid burglar who would NOT skoot like the Devil was on his Heels . . . .

A proper alarm-system can give you a high degree of 'peace-of-mind'.

Cheers,

JGK/Pattaya

[chiang mai]

We are new here and heard of Thai burglars entering our friends house too (open bathroom window). Picked up keys and drove their car away.

Do bars on all the windows and doors deter Thai intruders? We like to sleep with windows open but don't want people entering and wondering around.

Something similar happened to us about nine months ago - someone came in thru a fairly high side window, went down the stairs past where we were sleeping and grabbed a few items before leaving by the front door. From the evidence we found afterwards it seems the intruder paused outside the front door, just long enough to go thru Mrs CM's handbag and then took off for the parking lot. He had my car keys and rifled the car but seemingly didn't know how to drive (or maybe he didn't care for Honda's) because he left the keys on the ground next to the car.

Bars on windows and doors do work but you should remember that the things that prevent other from getting in, prevent you from getting out also!

Glad you guys are ok, though have to ask if these two incidents happened at the same address?

If so, could be he tried his luck a 2nd time after a successful 1st attempt.

Still, glad you scared him off.

Indeed, same address twice in twelve months - I live in one of twelve houses on the side of a hill that faces the beach and every house has had visitors of this kind over the past year or so. Why, some of my neighbors were so traumatized by a similar event that they left the country which I thought was a bit drastic!

[chiang mai]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

Right-On, HD - not only that, but, as a small and inexpensive addition, I strongly suggest "Panic-Buttons". In my house I have them everywhere: in the bathrooms, besides the beds, in the kitchen and the living room. All is well when you're both home, but what is my wife going to do when I am workig late ? ? She feels totally safe with this system, because she knows that when she hits any of these buttons; litterally "All hel_l Breaks Loose" ! ! ! It would be a very brve and equally stupid burglar who would NOT skoot like the Devil was on his Heels . . . .

A proper alarm-system can give you a high degree of 'peace-of-mind'.

Cheers,

JGK/Pattaya

Umm, sorry, hope you read my post above about alarms!

[lioness]

was the cat siamese?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

Right-On, HD - not only that, but, as a small and inexpensive addition, I strongly suggest "Panic-Buttons". In my house I have them everywhere: in the bathrooms, besides the beds, in the kitchen and the living room. All is well when you're both home, but what is my wife going to do when I am workig late ? ? She feels totally safe with this system, because she knows that when she hits any of these buttons; litterally "All hel_l Breaks Loose" ! ! ! It would be a very brve and equally stupid burglar who would NOT skoot like the Devil was on his Heels . . . .

A proper alarm-system can give you a high degree of 'peace-of-mind'.

Cheers,

JGK/Pattaya

Umm, sorry, hope you read my post above about alarms!

Hi

Dont sound like a good alarm,,,, maybe Hompro 2300 Baht you get what you pay for, you can get good alarms with Zone so the whole house is covered, and it works.

[chiang mai]

Hi

Get an alarm fitted. Also when they see the sign and the flasher maybe they will go for the next house

Right-On, HD - not only that, but, as a small and inexpensive addition, I strongly suggest "Panic-Buttons". In my house I have them everywhere: in the bathrooms, besides the beds, in the kitchen and the living room. All is well when you're both home, but what is my wife going to do when I am workig late ? ? She feels totally safe with this system, because she knows that when she hits any of these buttons; litterally "All hel_l Breaks Loose" ! ! ! It would be a very brve and equally stupid burglar who would NOT skoot like the Devil was on his Heels . . . .

A proper alarm-system can give you a high degree of 'peace-of-mind'.

Cheers,

JGK/Pattaya

Umm, sorry, hope you read my post above about alarms!

Hi

Dont sound like a good alarm,,,, maybe Hompro 2300 Baht you get what you pay for, you can get good alarms with Zone so the whole house is covered, and it works.

I take your point but you should understand that I rent the house I live in at present - having said that, the alarm that is fitted is a good one, checked by the installation company once a year and has all the attributes you would expect. The only problem of course is that it doesn't cover the second and third story's of the house and it doesn't cover the roof garden. But since we like to sleep with the patio/balcony doors slightly ajar, no alarm would be useful under those circumstances. And that was the point of this thread, complacency.

[chiang mai]

was the cat siamese?

Got a point to make or just bored?

[Yamantaka]

Alarms on windows and doors are a good idea but only as part of a total security program. In other words all they do is let you know that someone is in your house and that you have less than a minute to implement the protections you have in place to safeguard your family. It is only the companies who sell alarms that will tell you that they alone will keep you safe. What you need to do in Patong or anywhere else is create a series of deterrents, preventions and containments to discourage criminals and then keep them from ever getting to your house undetected if they persist. If you like to sleep with the patio doors open you can add security screens. There is an Australian company in Thailand called Meshtec that sells a good quality product.