Thief watch..!! A matter of when, not if...

[Tackleberry]

Been doing a few bits on my Capri as I've now taken her off the road for winter. Stripped the engine bay out to clean it and change some bits etc..

 

Fortunately, my garage is attached to my house, so I'm out all hours of the day working on her...that's where the problem has started. It appears some of those from the light fingered fraternity have seen my pride and joy, and I've been told there's been a scruffy white transit with 2 dodgy looking blokes paying attention to my property and that of my neighbours during the last couple of days.

 

Now, I know you can protect myself in my house, but what about the contents of my garage, ie, my pride and joy?!

 

I'm thinking of "camping" in my garage for a few nights as I'm expecting visitors. I have my trusty baseball bat to keep me company, plus my pet bull mastiff "Dave". Would it be frowned upon if both myself and my dog beat the crap out of any persons entering my garage, or should it only be one of us.? Thoughts gents?

[Vista]

I think if you pop an intruder over the head with a baseball bat you run the risk of ending up in Dock before they do. However wrong that is, it's a risk you run.

[YOUNGY]

i would do the same mate

[HotRodMatt]

You would have to prove you acted in 'self defence', eg you felt threatened/he went for you first, and the 'defence' wasn't premeditated, eg you keep a baseball bat in the garage and you used the first thing you grabbed hold of.

[grantandlianne]

jack handle...may be close to hand in a garage

[classicwhitey]

what you need is a big banger. my farmer mate uses crow scarers. lite one of them as the door starts to open and you will scare the be-jesus  out of them. all you have to do is hope they do run and dont stay and fight. but then in mitigating circumstace the first thing being to hand your jack handle in self defence.

[Tackleberry]

Update, I watched from my upstairs window last night...about 3am, an old white transit with a single yellow beacon on the roof came along my road and drove very slowly past...both index plates had been removed.

 

I ran downstairs in my finest sponge bob boxers, grabbed Dave and waited by my front door...I've set up a simple alarm on the garage door... The van came back about 10 mins later..still doing about 10mph..but carried on past again...

 

I'm expecting them to come back tonight, so I've decided to have a late night silent poker game in the garage with a few mates and Dave.

 

I've also today purchased a simple CCTV system and motion sensor security light. Barring building the Berlin wall around my garage, there's not much more I can do..

 

So, another sleepless night ahead..!!

[mk2xflow]

try phoning the police and tell them a white vans been seen casing out your house  mate , other than that knock the shit outa them if they come back and burn there van preferably with the bastids in it

[Tackleberry]

Mate, if some f@#kers coming for my Capri, they'll be leaving with no fingers, and not with thier van either.

 

Police no good as "without an index, we can't do anything". Anyhoo, courts are shitte at giving out so called "justice"... Apparently, there's been lots of small cars nicked, micra's, fiesta's etc...probably same lot.

 

Scum bags know that a kicking if caught is part and parcel of thievery...call it an occupational hazard.

[popeye]

looked at other car a while ago and the chap had a Dog alarm fitted.......wired up to the garage doors.... Excellent stuff..   

[buzzard]

hi . when you say index plates , do you mean number plates . if so surely that's a good enough reason for the police to pull them over . ????. I don't know what I would do . but if they are after it they normally get it . for some reason sunday nights are there favourite round hear . anything to slow them down can put them off .

[Tackleberry]

Told em it had no plates, still not really interested so guess I'll deal with em... The only good thing is the garage is built onto my house. With the alarm, I can get to them before they can get to the Capri.

[Hotspur]

Get lots of light out there. They'll hate it. I've got a dusk till dawn light, two PIR lights, two cheapo LED lights with motion sensors, and I've also got cheapo solar powered lights in the flower beds. If you walk up my drive at night, you need sun glasses.

 

 

Pete

[classicwhitey]

as its the end of show season,depending on how you use the car, would it be worth making the car imobile for a period. as you cant be at home all the time, any thing you can do to make getting the car can only help. try taking the battery off and the front wheels hiding them in the loft/shed away from car. to make sure they cant bolt any wheel on,take the front hubs off if you have to. that should stop them moving it at least.

[JAY PS]

Scruffy white Transit was seen here in Chessington eyeing up one of mine in daylight covered too.

Removed the cover and whilst the driver was chatting to a neighbour

They got distrubed and cars now relocated .  They were of Irish decent and i was told its likely they are selling to banger boys to highest bidders !!

[Danish]

would it be worth making the car imobile for a period. as you cant be at home all the time,

 

Or store it at a mate's or relative's house for a while?

[Tackleberry]

I'd rather keep it here if I'm honest..so, it's now on axle stands, all wheels removed and also fitted a security post to protect the garage door which is cemented 3 feet into the ground with a heavy duty padlock.

[XjamesX]

Did they come back again last night? You are doing the right thing by being over cautious, you can never be too careful.

[Tackleberry]

No, but I'm just waiting for them to.. I've done all I can to secure her..I've even bought an old mondeo for £150 and parked that in front of the garage...

 

I've got the CCTV in a visible place covering the front of the property. It marks points of movement on the hard drive so I'll have a look in the morning to see if the van reappeared..hoping with everything I've done will put em off.

[HotRodMatt]

I wouldn't be surprised if after a couple of nights scouting your place out they stay away for a while then come back to try something out of the blue. Sounds like you've took some good precautions here though. Fingers crossed the Capri stays safe and the bastards go back to whatever scumhole they came from.<br />

[The Transplanter]

I feel your anger, and any thieving bar stewards deserve a battering IMO!

 

But, be very careful, If "Dave" bites one of them he will be visiting the vet for his last ever injection!

 

And if you hit them with a feather you will be the one banged up with know one keeping an eye on the Capri!

 

As frustrating as it is, just keep ringing the old bill until they listen). I had a similar situation a few years back and the police were not interested. When over the phone I threaten to kill the person damaging my vehicles I had five old bill cars turn up with in minutes ; 

 

Just box clever and get the police actually doing something about it, when the Police finally listened to me they installed covert CCTV on my property which caught the cnuts red handed

[Tackleberry]

I feel your anger, and any thieving bar stewards deserve a battering IMO!

 

But, be very careful, If "Dave" bites one of them he will be visiting the vet for his last ever injection!

 

And if you hit them with a feather you will be the one banged up with know one keeping an eye on the Capri!

 

As frustrating as it is, just keep ringing the old bill until they listen). I had a similar situation a few years back and the police were not interested. When over the phone I threaten to kill the person damaging my vehicles I had five old bill cars turn up with in minutes ;

 

Just box clever and get the police actually doing something about it, when the Police finally listened to me they installed covert CCTV on my property which caught the cnuts red handed

Dave won't bite them, he'll probably just eat them...no evidence, no offence...

 

Is it illegal to say, fit new lights in my garage, but forget to attach lights to the dangling wires which may be "live"..?

[Vista]

Is it illegal to say, fit new lights in my garage, but forget to attach lights to the dangling wires which may be "live"..?

Actually, I think it is illegal to do wiring work in your own property if you don't have proper Domestic electrical certification to do so.

 

In any case a 240v shock at that ampage isn't enough to do more than make them jump.

[Tackleberry]

Actually, I think it is illegal to do wiring work in your own property if you don't have proper Domestic electrical certification to do so.

 

In any case a 240v shock at that ampage isn't enough to do more than make them jump.

Bugger..... Guess Dave will have to make himself comfy for a few nights..

[mk2xflow]

put up a small  warning cctv sign on your gate or other mate if they know you've got cctv ,thatl put them right off