Home security

[JLCrab]

From the screenplay for 'The Producers' -- 1968 version:

Little Old Lady: Who is it?
Max: It's Max Bialystock.
Little Old Lady: Good. I thought it was a burglar. Wait. I'll let you in.
(41 second delay with the sounds of keys being inserted & turned and lock bolts unlocking)
Max: Mrs. Sarah Cathcart (Nice to see you.)

Edited May 4, 2014 by JLCrab

[marko kok prong]

From the screenplay for 'The Producers' -- 1968 version:

Little Old Lady: Who is it?

Max: It's Max Bialystock.

Little Old Lady: Good. I thought it was a burglar. Wait. I'll let you in.

(41 second delay with the sounds of keys being inserted & turned and lock bolts unlocking)

Max: Mrs. Sarah Cathcart (Nice to see you.)

Jl,you have really got to start getting out a bit more.

[JLCrab]

Getting out of what?

[marko kok prong]

Getting out of what?

The house.

[JLCrab]

I get out of the house plenty just not where I'm likely to run into anybody as mentioned in the above posts ... and most of my regular acquaintances in Thailand don't speak English. If I wanted to speak English every day I would just go home.

[thailiketoo]

There are decorative bars and bars that look like they belong in a bank. I have the bank bars. Dog, yes. Walls, yes. Locks are the Stanley expensive ones. Safe is 400 pounds and big (three guys may be able to carry it). The helmet goes under/in the scooter seat and the scooter is chained to a big big concrete post. If the thieves bring a bulldozer or bobcat they can get everything. I also have insurance if that happens.

Sounds great -- how often do you lock yourself out?

I have a set of keys and the wife has a set. Odds of both of us forgetting the keys the same day is small especially since it takes three keys to lock the front door from the outside and a key to lock the gate from the outside. With the front door; first I have to lock the sliding bar doors then the wood doors and then the padlock on the wood doors. Then unlock two locks on the motorcycle and one lock on the front gate. So I can't get out of the house with less than 6 keys.

hope for your sake theres never a fire and u need to get out in seconds rather than look for your 6 keys .........

It is locked with a hand bolt from the inside. There is only a padlock on when I leave the house and lock it from the outside with the exception of the front gate.

[MahasarakhamMitch]

Our geese are doing better prevention than our dogs...

1545872_499024293556521_2050629553_n.jpg

The next door neighbour has geese and they are amazing burglar alarms

[GinBoy2]

Crime is weird. I grew up in small town California, petty crime was almost non existent, but live in Oakland or Watts, and yep chances of getting shot n killed increased exponentially. Here, given the walls, gates etc you would think its the same, but here is a petty crime society. I've been broken into, and the odds were it was one of the local boys looking for a few Baht for his yaba and white whiskey fix; shoot me in my bed?...most unlikely. I now have motion activated lights and cctv cameras, which as a well known fact in the village I think is the biggest deterrent, not the effectiveness of the cameras themselves

Edited May 10, 2014 by GinBoy2

[neverdie]

Here in Phuket recently a tourist was bashed to death by two thieves in his bungalow as he slept. I believe he hadn't locked the door.

I have high walls and gates and a couple of large dogs to scare bad guys away, but I don't feel as safe here as I did in Australia. Thieves there steal and run, they generally don't kill people because they know it would mean a life sentence.

People here don't seem capable of understanding the consequences of committing murder.

Old Croc,

Once upon a time I would have completely agree dead with you, now only partly so. Australia, in particular some parts, scare the living bejesus out of me now. Crime on the ground is so violent and dangerous. Old ladies are getting home jacked in their small apartments. Drive by shootings are a daily occurrence in parts of Sydney. Criminals are getting more violent during home invasion type crimes.

I understand what's happening on the ground, it's a concern but Thailands far from its pat Malone when it comes to these issues.

My home in Thailand has little security, not in a village, BUT we are surrounded by a large family, long term neighbours and friends. Occasionally someone plays up in one of our rented apartments and they are quickly moved on and dealt with. Not a day goes by where one of us doesn't come home and find money left outside being payment for mangos removed from our front trees. I feel safe. I'm not aware of a home stealing or crime anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood.

Other places I've been to and stayed, I haven't felt safe.

We've always had cranky dogs around the place, they do little more than raise our attention to strangers approaching. They seem to know who belongs and who doesn't, they seem to recognise the people, the bikes and cars. Most times they're doing better than me.

Recently in Melbourne and Sydney Australia, I've felt unsafe and from all reports, wisely so.

PS: I do lock my doors and windows and do sleep with the bedroom door locked, but it's hardly a serious combination of security methods.

Edited May 10, 2014 by neverdie

[Old Croc]

Here in Phuket recently a tourist was bashed to death by two thieves in his bungalow as he slept. I believe he hadn't locked the door.

I have high walls and gates and a couple of large dogs to scare bad guys away, but I don't feel as safe here as I did in Australia. Thieves there steal and run, they generally don't kill people because they know it would mean a life sentence.

People here don't seem capable of understanding the consequences of committing murder.

Old Croc,

Once upon a time I would have completely agree dead with you, now only partly so. Australia, in particular some parts, scare the living bejesus out of me now. Crime on the ground is so violent and dangerous. Old ladies are getting home jacked in their small apartments. Drive by shootings are a daily occurrence in parts of Sydney. Criminals are getting more violent during home invasion type crimes.

I understand what's happening on the ground, it's a concern but Thailands far from its pat Malone when it comes to these issues.

My home in Thailand has little security, not in a village, BUT we are surrounded by a large family, long term neighbours and friends. Occasionally someone plays up in one of our rented apartments and they are quickly moved on and dealt with. Not a day goes by where one of us doesn't come home and find money left outside being payment for mangos removed from our front trees. I feel safe. I'm not aware of a home stealing or crime anywhere in the immediate neighbourhood.

Other places I've been to and stayed, I haven't felt safe.

We've always had cranky dogs around the place, they do little more than raise our attention to strangers approaching. They seem to know who belongs and who doesn't, they seem to recognise the people, the bikes and cars. Most times they're doing better than me.

Recently in Melbourne and Sydney Australia, I've felt unsafe and from all reports, wisely so.

PS: I do lock my doors and windows and do sleep with the bedroom door locked, but it's hardly a serious combination of security methods.

You're right, crime in Australia is on the increase, but it's mostly gang related or drug fuelled and if you're not part of those worlds you generally don't get targeted. Little old ladies living alone are unfortunately seen by kids (gangs) as easy pickings, but even those <deleted> rarely kill people.

The murder of a Frenchman, as he slept, just a few kms from where I live is disturbing. A member on this forum, who lives even closer,has previously described waking up with an intruder sitting on his chest holding a machete to his throat. I wouldn't expect these extremes to happen in Australia, particularly in Perth where I lived. Sydney may be different.

Phuket, because of the unrestricted growth in property development, has probably the largest numbers of itinerant migrant labourers in Thailand, outside of Bangkok. Many are kept in camps and often paid slave like wages. Consequently crime is rife with some of these people, and, as stated before, they can escalate crime to the extreme.

A few months ago in Patong, a Burmese beheaded a workmate over a minor money matter.

I do feel less secure here than in Australia so take precautions.

[neverdie]

^ I accept what you are saying and I believe you are right about Perth, that's for sure and of course if your smart and take a few basic precautions, you're all the safer.

It never surprises me to see the way certain people move about opening lay flouting their wealth, huge chunky gold chains, expensive mobiles, handbags full of cash draped over their shoulders, zips open as they move about in contested areas......all somewhat unaware of the risks?

I am most vigilant in Thailand when outside the home environment, many years ago I survived an attempt at being kicked off my bike, foolishly I had taken an unlit short cut on the way home, fortunately I had the ability to extract myself from the situation, having known bette than to do that in the first place.

it's always when we least expect that something happens.

Two things are for certain, 1. Danger is ever present, 2. Stupidity is abundant.

As for home security, some of the basic Thai measures ie: window bar work that is easily removed with Phillips head screw driver or Beefy locks on doors affixed to flimsy framework, may just provide one with a false sense of security.......which won't help at all when it's needed.

Take care old croc as I know you will.