Warning. Burglary

[ScubaPhuket]

At 5.30am this morning a cat burglar entered my house and stole electronics

The offender somehow disposed of these items, I assume to an accomplice, then came back to the house to take more at which point we disturbed him & he ran away.

Description: Thai/Burmese, roughly 22 years of age, 5'7", short hair, medium/dark skin, round face, slim/medium build, shirt-less, shoe-less (for quietness we assume), blue knee-length sports shorts, 20% tattoo coverage over his chest.

The boys in brown have been & taken statements, photographs etc. but do not offer a lot of hope of catching the thieves.

I realize that this is probably a relatively common occurrence on the island but I still think it's worth making locals aware so that they can keep an eye out, just in case this is a new gang who've arrived on the island recently to clear a few houses out.

Take care.

Edited October 5, 2014 by Support

[NomadJoe]

Every low season see's a spike in property theft and violent robberies, but at the moment it is far worse than normal. I have lost track of how many burglaries I have heard of in just the last few weeks. I volunteer with the police and this is very well known to them right now. Everyone needs to be extra vigilant at the moment. There are hundreds of people out of work due to the military beach clean-up many of whom were dodgy people to start with. Do what you can to protect yourself.

Edited September 20, 2014 by NomadJoe

[N47HAN]

I have a horrible feeling its actually a lot worse than we think.

In all the time ive been here for sure ive never heard of so many people being broken into , low season or not.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hkt83100]

Knock on wood, I am still feeling safe in Patong/Nanai. My house is surrounded by about 10 CCTV cameras, all with infrared lighting, being recording on about 3 different recorders. But you never know if the thieves are intelligent enough to notice these cams. I hope they are.

[stevenl]

I have the feeling it is far less this year, I hear nothing in my area about burglaries.

[N47HAN]

I have the feeling it is far less this year, I hear nothing in my area about burglaries.

Well I hope you are right , but i'm not so sure , lets hope you are.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[beechbum]

Cheers for the post.

How did he get in, does your house have no security on the doors or windows?

Edited October 5, 2014 by Support
reference to location removed

[Chainsaw]

I have the feeling it is far less this year, I hear nothing in my area about burglaries.

Same here.

[beechbum]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

I have the feeling it is far less this year, I hear nothing in my area about burglaries.

Best touch wood me thinks.

[Mrjlh]

It is too late for you but some time ago I posted about using a program called "Prey". It's free. Easy to find on the Internet. Several of our finest here boo hooded the idea. Was more worried about their privacy and being spied upon. Doesn't work that way. Had you had installed it on you devices you could have easily tracked them.

It works very well, I know because I used it stateside when my laptop disappeared. My roommates 14 year old daughter..."borrowed" it according to her first story. Sure she did! She was quiet shocked when the cops showed up at her boyfriends door looking for it. He was going to sell it for drugs. I should say...EX-Boyfriend! She's didn't get off easy either.

Most Thai's seem to think burglary is a minor offense. Just happens. Hate that attitude.

[stevenl]

I have the feeling it is far less this year, I hear nothing in my area about burglaries.

Well I hope you are right , but i'm not so sure , lets hope you are.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

I for sure am right about the feeling, but about the actual number of break ins, I really don't know.

So yes, touch wood this really is the case.

[Old Croc]

We have a couple of large dogs who, truth be known, wouldn't hurt a fly, but when they start barking they sound as if they would rip out the throat of any intruder.

They've gone off a few times in the middle of the night. It's impossible to tell if they were scaring off potential burglars , or were just letting a strange cat know where to go.

However, they give us a sense of security at night.

[beechbum]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

We have a couple of large dogs who, truth be known, wouldn't hurt a fly, but when they start barking they sound as if they would rip out the throat of any intruder.

They've gone off a few times in the middle of the night. It's impossible to tell if they were scaring off potential burglars , or were just letting a strange cat know where to go.

However, they give us a sense of security at night.

Same, have had large dogs for the last 17/18 years and to date no probs, although we also have security on all windows and doors.

[Chainsaw]

We have a couple of large dogs who, truth be known, wouldn't hurt a fly, but when they start barking they sound as if they would rip out the throat of any intruder.

They've gone off a few times in the middle of the night. It's impossible to tell if they were scaring off potential burglars , or were just letting a strange cat know where to go.

However, they give us a sense of security at night.

Same here. I think a couple of dogs are much more of a deterrent to would-be burglars than cameras. Lots of dogs available free at Soi dogs, already vaccinated and spayed.

[beechbum]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Cheers for the post.

How did he get in, does your house have no security on the doors or windows?

Near the circle at the Pier & no, I've been here many years & never needed any security. I became complacent I suppose. I fitted cameras today though so at least I'll have the bastards face next time.

"I fitted cameras today though so at least I'll have the bastards face next time." - are they hidden cameras, otherwise, what's stopping the criminal from using a balaclava, or some other similar face covering?

Even with hidden cameras, he may still wear a face covering.

The system in the link below is a good system. It starts filming upon motion detection and can send the footage to your mobile phone, so you can store it, off-site, confirm it's not a false alarm, and race home and/or call the police. With an on-site DVR recording your CCTV cameras, they can just rip the DVR out and take it with them, then, you have no footage.

http://www.videofied.com/us/en/home/

Sounds good but I guess the dogs would trip it constantly.

[stiggy]

In just 9 months of living in Chalong,

Disturbed one break in and found two machetes on balcony.

Had door cracked with screwdriver again disturbed by neighbours this time

Had a fight from bar about 500 mtrs away enter my garden two people badly stabbed

My wife was assaulted twice, once by a guy who followed her masturbating ( ran off when others came out) another time two guys tried to pull her off bike

Had motorbike stolen

A bad run of luck as the other 13 and a bit years in thailand very little has happened to us.

[ScubaPhuket]

So I found one of the phones with GPS & it's tracking software, the fool sent me a photo message which tipped me off. Pinpointed it to within 10 metres on google maps, printed it off & gave it to the police 10 minutes ago, the guy lives just around the corner!

The locals have told me they know him now.

Let's see what the police can do.

[NomadJoe]

In just 9 months of living in Chalong,

Disturbed one break in and found two machetes on balcony.

Had door cracked with screwdriver again disturbed by neighbours this time

Had a fight from bar about 500 mtrs away enter my garden two people badly stabbed

My wife was assaulted twice, once by a guy who followed her masturbating ( ran off when others came out) another time two guys tried to pull her off bike

Had motorbike stolen

A bad run of luck as the other 13 and a bit years in Thailand very little has happened to us.

As I said, there is a major spike in crime right now. I have lost count of how many people I know that have been burglarized, been bag or phone snatched, or knocked off bikes and robbed in the last 3-4 months.

[NamKangMan]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Cheers for the post.

How did he get in, does your house have no security on the doors or windows?

"I fitted cameras today though so at least I'll have the bastards face next time." - are they hidden cameras, otherwise, what's stopping the criminal from using a balaclava, or some other similar face covering?

Even with hidden cameras, he may still wear a face covering.

The system in the link below is a good system. It starts filming upon motion detection and can send the footage to your mobile phone, so you can store it, off-site, confirm it's not a false alarm, and race home and/or call the police. With an on-site DVR recording your CCTV cameras, they can just rip the DVR out and take it with them, then, you have no footage.

http://www.videofied.com/us/en/home/

Sounds good but I guess the dogs would trip it constantly.

Don't quote me on this, and I'll look into it, but I think they have a "pet friendly" PIR. Basically, that means, the motion detector will not "trip" for anything under a certain amount of kilograms, so, small animals are free to move around and their body heat will not trip the sensor.

A larger animal, such as a human, will emit enough body heat to trip the sensor.

[beechbum]

Cheers for the info, the latest edition to the canine family is 35kg and growing so maybe a bit big for PIR?

[NamKangMan]

Cheers for the info, the latest edition to the canine family is 35kg and growing so maybe a bit big for PIR?

The "pet friendly" PIR's go up to 45kg. Anymore than that, in Asia, and that can be heavier than your average Asian male.

I'm going to look more into it. I think they are Tri-Tech's - so, motion/microwave/infared - three stage trigger. Each stage must present as a breach to trigger the PIR.

Dogs can be neutralised with capsicum spray/mace - which is easily available here, also tasers, not to mention poison, or simply shooting them.

A dog can't ring you and say someone is in your house - this system can, and sends the footage off-site.

Looks like a good product to me.

Edited September 22, 2014 by NamKangMan

[KarenBravo]

Dogs are not a guarantee against being burgled.

Many occupants of burgled houses have lost their pets to valium wrapped in meat.

Edited September 23, 2014 by KarenBravo

[beechbum]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

Dogs are not a guarantee against being burgled.

Many occupants of burgled houses have lost their pets to valium wrapped in meat.

Nothings a guarantee against being burgled but it's good to take precautions.

[Old Croc]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

[NamKangMan]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

"Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed." - how would you "overcome" or "bypass" the alarm system I posted, OC?

The mobile phone jammers they sell here only have a short range of a few meters.

[stevenl]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

Agree. Be careful though with boundary walls, a major disadvantage is that once a burglar is over the wall he is invisible to the outside world.

[Old Croc]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

Agree. Be careful though with boundary walls, a major disadvantage is that once a burglar is over the wall he is invisible to the outside world.

Large bushes and trees in front of doors and windows also provide cover.

Where I came from most houses are open to the street, but common advice was to keep vegetation trimmed down.

[Jimi007]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

"Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed." - how would you "overcome" or "bypass" the alarm system I posted, OC?

The mobile phone jammers they sell here only have a short range of a few meters.

A rock thrown at it would take it out if outside. Interesting system though using batter powery, GSM or ethernet, maybe I missed wifi in the specs. If the power goes out only GSM and battery will work. My dog works too. She sleeps inside, alerts and does bite.

[Old Croc]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

"Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed." - how would you "overcome" or "bypass" the alarm system I posted, OC?

The mobile phone jammers they sell here only have a short range of a few meters.

I didn't read your post.

[NamKangMan]

Of course dogs can be neutralised. Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed.

The deterrent value of a couple of noisy dogs would be, on nearly all occasions, sufficient to send burglars on to the next, easier target. Most break-ins here are crimes of opportunity. Only a very determined, fixated and organised thief would go to the trouble of carrying valium laced meat.

The only burglary in our soi was at the only house that had neither dogs nor a boundary wall.

"Any alarm system can be overcome or bypassed." - how would you "overcome" or "bypass" the alarm system I posted, OC?

The mobile phone jammers they sell here only have a short range of a few meters.

A rock thrown at it would take it out if outside. Interesting system though using batter powery, GSM or ethernet, maybe I missed wifi in the specs. If the power goes out only GSM and battery will work. My dog works too. She sleeps inside, alerts and does bite.

Primarily, they are for indoor use. If you required to use it outdoors, you could put it in a weatherproof and vandal proof housing, similar to the housings many CCTV cameras are in.