Car break ins, better safe than sorry.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

I've recently moved to a new place which on paper is a much nicer area than I was before, though I never had any problems in the previous place.

With that being said, it's a bit of a faff getting stuff to and from the car as the drive way is on a steep verge.

I was out last night and have another wedding today. I'd never leave any big value items in the estate but on the way home I decided to leave a few bits and bobs (mostly stands, booth and so on) in the car overnight. With that being said, I also left my SATNAV, a couple of mega bars and my wireless mics. Not hugely expensive items but still a couple of hundred quid to replace.

My thought process - "what's the odds of the car being broken into tonight?"

I woke up this morning and my car is fine but my neighbours who sits right next to mine had his passenger window done in and his glove box raided.

I'm thinking someone has come from one of the schemes at the far end of the cul de sac and made their way down to the main road, it just so happens his has been the 1st on the path otherwise it would have been mine.

Suffice to say I'll not be leaving anything in my car from here on in. Just a thought cause I know plenty of us leave bits and bobs in the car or van thinking it'll never get touched.

[theoloyla]

Better safe than sorry

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Better safe than sorry

Indeed. I'm usually very good at getting everything out but for some reason last night I really couldn't be bothered.

Needless to say every single bit of gear + the sat nav will be going into the house once I get in tonight no matter what the time is.

[MikeW]

Indeed. I'm usually very good at getting everything out but for some reason last night I really couldn't be bothered.

Needless to say every single bit of gear + the sat nav will be going into the house once I get in tonight no matter what the time is.

It's very tempting to leave items in the car overnight, especially if you are working the next night. I think we have all done it thinking it will never happen. Thanks for sharing this Jim.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Curiouser and curiouser.

After making sure everything was out of the car, save for empty wrappers and old tesco magazines, (tea leafs can feel free to remove them from my car at any time) I was woken up in the middle of the night by what sounded like someone banging on the door or hitting something down stairs.

It woke my girlfriend up too so I know I hadn't imagined it. I grabbed my handy thief deterrent, stuck on a pair of joggies (even your junkiest scum bag doesn't deserve to see me tackle out at 4 in the morning) and went down stairs to investigate.

There was no one there but after the guys car getting done last night I was a bit wierded out. I know the sounds of the new place now and this was definitely not the boiler or washing machine or anything like that. Being the old cynic I am I spent a fitful rest of the night thinking that someone was banging a door or window to case the place see if there was any response inside.

It's probably nothing and I don't even want to think about what might have happened if there was someone down there but this isn't the 1st time I've went down stairs thinking there might be someone in the house - I'm usually a laid back, placid type of guy but the day someone steps foot in my house when I've got the red mist on won't end well for them.

[theoloyla]

Was very windy last night.

[Jim - Scotland's Party DJ]

Was very windy last night.

Might have been but there was more rain than wind up here, (was teeming down) but the house is ridiculously sound insulated and I never heard a peep earlier in the month when the gales were blowing wheelie bins half way down the street...

Either way, the moral of the story is don't take the risk with your stuff.

[BeerFunk]

It's good advice, and it is easy to be drawn into a false sense of security, thinking "it will never happen to me". Well, it does happen, so it has to happen to someone!

[mattydj50]

I bought 10 metres of black suit material from the local market and cut it to fit over the gear when I have to leave it in the car. That way, the inside is darkened (I also have slightly tinted windows) and gives the impression that the car is empty.

Its parked on the driveway under my stepson's bedroom window and he keeps odd hours and always has the small windows open (even in the depths of winter).

Don't want to tempt fate by saying any more.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I bought 10 metres of black suit material from the local market and cut it to fit over the gear when I have to leave it in the car. That way, the inside is darkened (I also have slightly tinted windows) and gives the impression that the car is empty.

Its parked on the driveway under my stepson's bedroom window and he keeps odd hours and always has the small windows open (even in the depths of winter).

Don't want to tempt fate by saying any more.

Why would you 'have' to leave it in the car?

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I was going to say the same thing.
I am not going to be a hypocrite and say that I don't do it because I do and it's down to laziness at the end of the day.
I'm also not going to say it's any different for me even though I have a van that is alarmed and backed up to my garage.
It IS easily done though when for example you have had a booking on a Friday and get home late and then you have a booking on the Saturday too.
It only takes 10 minutes to unload and I guess 5 minutes to steal?
It is a pain in the backside when you get back in the early hours and it's raining, cold and you're hungry but the equipment is our work tools so we should value it more rather than leaving it wherever.....(there you go, I'm being a hypocrite. I think I might have to make more effort from now on).

Just something else to mention - A friend of mine does a lot of PA work. He generally does sound for local gigs. His equipment isn't that great but that's not the point. He lives in quite a rough area of town and leaves his stuff in the landrover 9 times out of 10. I keep telling him that's he's asking for trouble but does he listen? It's on view for all to see. At least my van doesn't have windows and the only things that stay in the van permanently are the JBL's because they're really bulky (and heavy) and the Ultimax stand base.

[theoloyla]

Yep vans are more secure especially if they are alarmed. Plus think about installing a motion activated security light and CCTV systems are now not expensive.

[Corabar Steve]

...& this year's award for thread necromancy goes to.....

[Excalibur]

...& this year's award for thread necromancy goes to.....

http://yoursmiles.org/ssmile/misc/s0439.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/s-misc.php)

Followed closely by the leading contender for the most predictable reply. Watch it Young Corabar, you may have hit Fifty, but you're still a whippersnapper. Time doesn't have the same relevance when you get to our age.
http://yoursmiles.org/ssmile/misc/s0403.gif (http://yoursmiles.org/s-misc.php)

[theoloyla]

Dead right - and car break ins have not gone away neither.

[DJ Jules]

...and vans have been proven to be very insecure now. It's way too easy to defeat the manufacturers locks or peel a sliding door.

Despite having no history of break-ins, lots of alarms, good off street parking and CCTV cameras on the house, nothing of significant value stays in either my car or van overnight.

Julian