Burglary Rates In Thailand?

[MrWorldwide]

Given that I've only ever stayed in apartments which had their own security stationed near the lifts 24/7, I may have an overly rosy view of the threat of being burgled in Thailand. Even when the security guys are snoring at their desk when I stagger back at 3am, it's better than nothing. Interested to hear from anyone who has had first-hand experience of burglary in LOS - the number of Thais who keep dogs that bark loudly at anyone new tells me that it's a different story for those who cant afford human security.

Tks,

MrWW

[robblok]

Here in the village in the suburbs of BKK people have been burgled, i have 2 dogs and iron bars for my windows and doors just like everyone else. I guess that is the norm here. They can still get in through the roof, actually I do worry about getting burgled.

[MrWorldwide]

Thanks Robblok - that sounds a lot like Sydney. Definitely not good in a fire.

[Scully]

My mates wife's shop got broken into a few days ago, police said they had never seen this much burglary in the area. They kept everyone out of the shop and a forensic team arrived for finger prints and took away a few suspect items.

Police advice was to sleep in the shop from now on as it's likely to happen again, I was quite impressed, dare I say it with the police's approach.

[krisb]

Out in the village its quiet. Suppose it does happen but next door is the father in law and his m16. Both are known well by others. I think the villages are more close knit than the cities, neighbors look after neighbors still.

[NoshowJones]

Out in the village its quiet. Suppose it does happen but next door is the father in law and his m16. Both are known well by others. I think the villages are more close knit than the cities, neighbors look after neighbors still.

I am in much the same situation as you Krisb. In the UK, if you hurt someone who is attempting to break into your'e house, then you risk being prosecuted, I wonder how the Thai authorities would react if a Farang killed or injured someone found on his property with the intent of stealing or maybe harming him or any of his family.

[robblok]

Out in the village its quiet. Suppose it does happen but next door is the father in law and his m16. Both are known well by others. I think the villages are more close knit than the cities, neighbors look after neighbors still.

I am in much the same situation as you Krisb. In the UK, if you hurt someone who is attempting to break into your'e house, then you risk being prosecuted, I wonder how the Thai authorities would react if a Farang killed or injured someone found on his property with the intent of stealing or maybe harming him or any of his family.

Depends on the situation of course.. if your running after a guy escaping and beating his brains in with an axe while he is unarmed im pretty sure you should be punished. (less as murder as he brought you in the situation but you are following someone and armed). However if an armed assailant breaks in and is not running but having a go at you and you bash his brains in things are different. Just like where i am from.

[ExpatOilWorker]

From what I hear, burglary rates are fairly high in areas around Pattaya, Hua Hun and Phuket.

High rise condoes in Bangkok are as safe as safe can be.

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

My GF moved into a "modern" shophouse building with five units in Jomtien, off Thep Phrasit earlier this year. Her unit is the only one with security bars on the windows, first to third floor. Her neighbours informed her every single unit had been broken into over the life of the three-year old building, except hers. A previous tenant had had them installed.

I always wondered why Thai residents are so security conscious, installing razor wire along balconies, broken glass embedded into outer wall surfaces, big iron gates and heavy roller shutters. Is the threat that serious? I was finally convinced there is a high burglary risk after my GF's information.

[cheeryble]

I'd say Pattaya has a much higher risk than elsewhere due to much more yaba and transience.

I have never had anything stolen from house or car here in CM and never ever heard of a car related theft. This would be unheard of back home it happens constantly.

Lucky us.

[NoshowJones]

Out in the village its quiet. Suppose it does happen but next door is the father in law and his m16. Both are known well by others. I think the villages are more close knit than the cities, neighbors look after neighbors still.

I am in much the same situation as you Krisb. In the UK, if you hurt someone who is attempting to break into your'e house, then you risk being prosecuted, I wonder how the Thai authorities would react if a Farang killed or injured someone found on his property with the intent of stealing or maybe harming him or any of his family.

Depends on the situation of course.. if your running after a guy escaping and beating his brains in with an axe while he is unarmed im pretty sure you should be punished. (less as murder as he brought you in the situation but you are following someone and armed). However if an armed assailant breaks in and is not running but having a go at you and you bash his brains in things are different. Just like where i am from.

If I saw a stranger on my property and he ran away, I would not chase him unless he had something he had stolen from me, or harmed any of my family, in that instance, if I was in the UK and I caught up with him, yes, I would attack him and if I put him down, I would make sure he stayed there just to make sure he was incapable of harming me in any way, but here in Thailand, I would never do anything like that, I would just let him go.

[LucidLucifer]

I was broken in to when I lived in the south. Just like Robblok has said, they came in through the roof. I was living in a bungalow at the time and they climbed on to the 6ft wall surrounding my place and lifted up the roof slats. They then came in to the house through the loft hatch. I was alone, asleep in the bedroom at the time.

For me, the scariest thing about the whole episode was that the guy had taken a knife from the kitchen to cut the stereo speaker cables. The thought of some little barefooted Thai fella (I know he was barefooted, he left footprints everywhere from the dusty loft) walking around my house with a knife in his hand in the dead of night sent shivers down my spine.

Ably assisted by a few bottles of beer Chang, I slept through the whole thing thankfully. I say thankfully because I know I would have freaked had I woken up, and things could have turned very ugly.

[wayned]

I live in the sticks, really in the sticks, last house on a dirt road 5 kilometers from the main road.. The village has 21 houses, all Thai except me. I had security bars installed when I bulit my house, but do not know why as the doors are always open and I don't know if the locks even work. The bars just make it a PITA to clean the windows. We have screens on all of the windows but some are never closed.. My car and motorbike are parked in the carport with the keys in the ignition. There's a gate which normally gets closed at night and sometimes locked, but not often. I do have four footed burglar alrms, 10 in all. 8 dogs sleep in the house at night and two on the front porch and I definitely know if there are any people around which there are quite often as this is a farming community. We go to the local walking market every Wednesday and make numerous trips back and foth to the car throwing our purchases into the back of the truck. I've lived her for 14 ywears and we have never lost anything other than a chicken here and there.

[ExpatOilWorker]

Not really burglary per se, but theft is also very common in the sticks. Fish are stolen from fish ponds, fruit trees plundered at night and farmers NEVER leave farm equipment unattended over-night in the field.

[mrtoad]

It certainly happens, my house got burgled last year. Despite having cameras in our moo ban, the BIB were about a much use as a chocolate the teapot. Thieves made of with an Omega and a Hublot watch, some jewelry and a notebook. <deleted>.

[MrWorldwide]

I hope that wasn't a vintage Omega - newer watches can be replaced, but those vintage Omegas each have their own story.

Thanks for all the feedback, guys - looks like I need to stick with the 'guarded' accommmodation, even if they are just ordinary guys on minimum wage. Such is life.

[dominique355]

It happened during the recent big flood. The waters threatened our Moo Baan and the Soi leading to it was already 30 cm deep under water. We were afraid that we could not get out anymore by car and thus decided to get ot of Bangkok for a week, 10 days.

When we came back, burglars had pulled out a grid in front of a window to the kids' room upstairs and had broken in. Apparently they only found the master bedroom and cleaned it out.

We called immediately the police and indeed one policeman came, took a few pictures with his small digital camera and then asked us to make a list of things missing.

The list included mostly electronic stuff, cameras, a MacBook and some isolated cash. Most annoyingly it also included the car keys, although the car was not parked in our house.

We brought the list to the police station and after some problems finding our file they put it in the file and assured us with a big smile that our case is important to them.

A few days later, someone who claimed to be a security guard at the nearby Tesco-Lotus called and said that he has in his custody a man who had our business card in a bag, together with some electronic items, which appeared to be stolen. We should come and identify him.

We went there, but there was no security guard around who know anything about this phone call. We figured that the caller was the thief who had our car key and was hoping to snatch our car this way. Luckily for us, we came with another car. But we had the caller's phone No.

The next day we went to the police station to report the incident and give the police the phone no to trace. But at the (Romklao) police station nobody knew anything about our case.

I guess after 24 hours they simply dispose of the case, after having assured the victim that their case is important to them. Standard procedure.

I might add that our "Moo Ban" has strict access control with electronic key card, CCTV at every intersection and security guard at every intersection (mostly sleeping after 11 pm). Unfortunately the access control does not include motorbikes, which pass through totally unchecked. I guess it's true that a security system is only as good as its weakest link.

The police here, I learned the hard way, is totally incompetent and utterly useless.

[MrWorldwide]

Dominique, if it's any consolation we have had reports of looting after every major natural disaster in Australia (except fire, for obvious reasons) . When Cyclone Tracy flattened Darwin back in the 70s, there were also reports locals taking the law into their own hands and shooting said looters - definitely would have saved on all that paperwork down at the cop shop. Even now, there is a hint of 'Deliverance' about the NT

Not surprised to hear that the Police were useless - it seems that you need friends in high places to get things done in Thailand - but I'm happy to hear that the scumbags weren't able to get your car. None of it bodes well for insurance premiums in Thailand, but they couldn't be any worse than here in Oz.

[rattler]

I live in the sticks, really in the sticks, last house on a dirt road 5 kilometers from the main road.. The village has 21 houses, all Thai except me. I had security bars installed when I bulit my house, but do not know why as the doors are always open and I don't know if the locks even work. The bars just make it a PITA to clean the windows. We have screens on all of the windows but some are never closed.. My car and motorbike are parked in the carport with the keys in the ignition. There's a gate which normally gets closed at night and sometimes locked, but not often. I do have four footed burglar alrms, 10 in all. 8 dogs sleep in the house at night and two on the front porch and I definitely know if there are any people around which there are quite often as this is a farming community. We go to the local walking market every Wednesday and make numerous trips back and foth to the car throwing our purchases into the back of the truck. I've lived her for 14 ywears and we have never lost anything other than a chicken here and there.

Sounds like where I live, doors open no bars leave tools and all sorts out, maybe just a matter of time but no problems in 4 years, everyone knows whose who.

[MrWorldwide]

Rural towns in Oz used to be like that - kids could basically rock up to another kid's house and walk right in (adults obviously showed a little more decorum, but locked doors were rare). All that has well and truly changed over the last 2 decades.

I read an interview with a 'career criminal' years ago, and he claimed that the only thing that would deter him from breaking into someone's car was the presence of a dog. It's a pretty ordinary world when you cant go anywhere without your four-legged theft deterrent growling at everyone who walks past your car.

[cooked]

Not really burglary per se, but theft is also very common in the sticks. Fish are stolen from fish ponds, fruit trees plundered at night and farmers NEVER leave farm equipment unattended over-night in the field.

Same thing here in Isaan, if the guy decides to get irrigation equipment out in the field he has to sleep next to it. The rice harvest is dried out on the roads and then again the guys sleep on their rice or in a car.

In the village however, after a certain time of night it is impossible for anyone to move around without your / the neighbours' dogs barking, I know because I have tried it myself. Everyone wakes up. I may had that few houses have walls around them and these are the houses that are going to attract the attention of burglars.

[rattler]

Not really burglary per se, but theft is also very common in the sticks. Fish are stolen from fish ponds, fruit trees plundered at night and farmers NEVER leave farm equipment unattended over-night in the field.

Same thing here in Isaan, if the guy decides to get irrigation equipment out in the field he has to sleep next to it. The rice harvest is dried out on the roads and then again the guys sleep on their rice or in a car.

In the village however, after a certain time of night it is impossible for anyone to move around without your / the neighbours' dogs barking, I know because I have tried it myself. Everyone wakes up. I may had that few houses have walls around them and these are the houses that are going to attract the attention of burglars.

What !!!! they even steal the walls............incredible!!