How safe is your house ?

I had bit of a scare this morning that now makes me wonder how safe our homes are ...3 weeks ago my front door handle broke on my PVC front door last week a new one was fitted ...I went out this morning with India and Pippa and when i arrived home my son was in from college early ....I asked him how did he get in he replied i just pulled the handle and the door opened !!!!! so they have fitted one of those handles you can open from inside and out ......so all the times i have been out thinking my house was safe anyone could have just walked straight in ....scary thought

blimey!!!!! good job nowt happened coz insurance wouldnt pay out....they should have told you about the handle though!

It's like Fort Knox here but there's certain parts of the house that if you push hard enough, you could get in. The alarm is quite sensetive though, it also goes straight through to the police.

Someone could come into the field or paddocks though, and we would know a thing

have speoken to the door company who have appologised and said the door fitter has put the wrong type on ..another is on order but will be 3 weeks ...I have to lock the door when i go out and keep the key in the door when i am in

at least its getting sorted

Security-wise, I doubt that Snorri Mansions would "pass muster" in a city environment - it has doors with large glass panels (even if they do have the "regulation" double-throw locks), but The Mansion is in one of the UK's "lowest crime areas", where it is still considered to be an insult to the neighbours to lock doors! This is a place where people still park their cars with the keys in the ignition - and the car is still there when they come back!

One day, when Kali was a puppy, I went out to shop and left him in the porch. When I came back, he jumped up and turned the (then) Yale lock so that it wouldn't open, even with the key. To get in, I had no option but to try to shoulder-charge the door. I was amazed by the ease with which the door gave way! (The whole porch has been replaced since then, and no Yale locks!).

Burglary is on the increase in Orkney (well, even one is an increase when there were none before), but, so far, mainly in town, and even then, not very frequent. After all, if you've just burglarized a house, what do you do with the stuff you've pinched, when the only way off-island is by ferry?

And, of course, in this area, the old-fashioned ethos still prevails - stealing is just "not done", certainly amongst the "older generations".

Nevertheless, having moved here from the "sinful" city (Edinburgh), Mrs S and I have retained the habit of locking up when we're not about - old habits die hard!

Also, possibly because of the "closed" nature of Orkney, the police are unusually efficient at catching "naughty boys" - there's nowhere for them to run to!

Another possible deterrent to would-be burglars is the high number of shotguns held (legally) outside the towns! I don't own one, myself, but I do have an airgun of the maximum legal power, and a supply of pretty hefty pellets! Oh yes, and a bad attitude!

Snorri

Does make you wonder - I should imagine it was a fair old scare though Inca.
At least you found out the nice way.

Karen

Ummmmmmmmmm and I know where you live...now, what took my fancy?????

That is really scary, anyone could have come in when you were asleep in bed.

I would wake up and find you in the dog pen probably LOL

crikey never thought of that ..although the dogs would have gone nuts and prob woken me but yes ...I never gave it a thought i just though it was the same as before