Just want to hear what others might do. There's been some burglaries in my area, and that recent balaclava deal got me thinking on what I'd do if I'm a victim of a burglary.
If I was at home and burglars made their way inside, I'd yell "Give me my gun".
Am I allowed to have a machete or a metal baseball bat under my bed?
Lol
Get rid of the trash and make sure there's no evidence left behind. You're doing yourself and society a favour.
Worked for you?
Nah. But always fantasized about doing it. Would definitely have done it had I lived in the States. Our nanny state would side with the trash.
"always fantasized about doing it'
oh dear
There is always evidence and knowing this would probably haunt you.
Honestly I feel like unless the weapon is a gun OR you know how to use a weapon effectively then you are much better off hand to hand.
If you try to use a knife but are weak and can't fight you are pretty likely to get stabbed with it.
If you are using a bat or long club you likely get one good swing before the intruder is up in your personal space.
A chainsaw wouldnt be a bad choice. Just make contact and you are causing some damage. Just better hope it starts first pull.
A knife is very difficult to beat empty handed, even for somebody trained.
id talk about all the tough stuff i would do to burglars on ozbargain.
(but in reality, probably just lock my bedroom door and call the cops or leave with my family if possible. - aint no items in my home worth risking getting killed over)
My niece’s place got broken into and the guy stole her car. The dog didn’t even wake up. It turned out the guy was a very violent offender who was on the run. She was very lucky she didn’t wake up to confront him. Ringing 000 is your best option, you don’t want to end up with life altering injuries from pretending you are Rambo.
If only 1, and if could kill, then kill and burry in backyard.
If 2 many, hide and let them take what ever then call police, then claim insurance.
My old man had a run in with a kid with a knife.
Old man invited the kid to his vehicle where he pulled out a shovel.
Shovel vs kitchen knife keeps things interesting.
So yesterday they're was a post on equipment
Today this post
Tomorrow a post on requesting experience in prison
When did Australians turn into such low-t betas?
We’ve come a long way from the old colony days to — just let the robber take what they (I say that in a genderfluid pronoun) want.
Should just do what these fantastic Sikhs did in a California 7-11 when some guy was robbing them:
It’s crazy, isn’t it..
Most of these commenters are apparently ‘men’ too.
lol, they’d rather sneakily neg you and go back to playing Xbox with their wife’s boyfriends. Soo darn Typical
I often watch “24 Hours in ER” it is a Pommy series set in a hospital with real cases. This guy had been stabbed confronting some guys. The injuries were so bad he ended up with a stoma. The episode I saw had part of his intestines protruding through it and they had to get them to shrink again before they could put it back in. He was in agony. Stuff is insured, being an idiot can be for life.
Frankly macho isn’t mucho.
The so called pushback against vigilante violence is the normal default position. It's the faux bravery o of web anonymity with heroes on tap, that is delusional.
If that doesn't suit this minuscule cohort of pro aggressive people, who want to bathe in other peoples blood, America awaits in all its scar strangled gory.
88 guns/100 people
I'm not saying go and be a vigilante and shoot or bash people .
I'm saying if someone is actively breaking in to your house — as if you would just sit back and not put up a fight. I'll be defending my kids and family thanks.
So you wouldn't call the cops?
You wouldn't look for an opportunity to get out of harms way?
You wouldn't shout a warning or try and make sure your family was safe?
The only thing you would do is violently confront someone trying to enter your home?
I think you are imagining some situation which is more like a zombie movie than real life. What burglar is going to force entry to your home while you and your family is on the inside calling the cops?
When would you not run out the back door or to the neighbors if you thought someone was trying to break in? Why would you want your family present in a violent fight?
It sounds extremely risky to me compared to locking the door, calling the cops and getting away if you can.
@mskeggs: Oh stop being so dramatic, of course I would do all of those things.
Home invasions do occur.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYmuzhJDs-s
"compared to locking the door" LOL do you even live in the real world?
@meowsers: Seems a bit low-t beta not to just wade in with violence, but I guess that is what has happened since the old colony days.
I think lots of posts here are imagining a movie-like home invasion for some reason, and assuming people seeking to avoid confronting the invaders are ‘beta’.
But the OP asked about burglars, people stealing property, not attempting assault/violence. In those circumstances, everybody with a brain does what you admitted you would do - call the cops, try to get the burglars to leave without anybody getting hurt, avoid danger any way you can.
The chance of being burgled are much higher than being home invaded, but some of the posts here are saying to immediately be violent. Comments like “criminals deserve what they get if they enter your home”.
This is clearly dumb. Violence should be the last resort if you can’t avoid it, not something you start with.
Nobody in the low-t beta crew has said “I’m happy for my family and myself to be assaulted” exactly the opposite, they have said they would be prudent risk managers and would rather see a burglar get away or take their property rather than risk their family safety by taking them on unnecessarily.
I do recommend locking the door if you are scared of home invaders.
@OzBarAnon: Sure. Cops can’t be everywhere. They come pretty fast if there is a violent crime in progress. Cue the chorus of “once I saw someone get punched outside the pub and the cops weren’t there.”
If somebody is nicking your TV I think you would be dumb to try and fight them.
When seconds count, I’d be doing everything I could to get everyone out of trouble, rather than holding a bare knuckle boxing match with some junkie stuffing my PlayStation 3 up his hoodie.
@mskeggs: Make all the calls, warnings, etc. But I’d still have a knife in each hand in case they decide to step forward.
The guy in the video seemed unarmed and rather harmless. You don't know what kind of drugged up crazy and desperate you'll get. I don't think most burglars want to kill anyone, they just want the money, but accidents can happen if put into an unplanned situation. Consider what you have to lose, and what they have to lose. If you're going to fight them, you better win.
Being right doesn't mean you're being smart. At the end of the day, it's your/your family's life, your choice.
I'd just let them take my stuff and claim it on insurance like any other normal person.
I don't have a cricket bat or golf club handy. Any intruder will pass by the kitchen because it's a central area and all the knives are there so presumably, the intruders are more likely to be armed. Unless I have a gun or an extremely long and slim mace and a shield, I'm toast.
Also, lets say I hit someone with a bat, knife, golf club etc and they either die or become a paraplegic.
I just wouldn't be comfortable knowing that I've ended someone's life or changed them forever, just over some material possessions.
I'm sure that I'd be forced to sell my house and move, because neither I nor my wife would want to go back to a home and go, 'yeah, this is where ankor brained that guy last year' or 'remember the kitchen where that dude bled out, cried and let out a death rattle?'.
I'd prefer to be PTSD free thanks.
I'd just let them take my stuff and claim it on insurance like any other normal person.
Yes but then the needy would have no need to post needless threads.
Yeah but you would also need to have receipts for everything even things from many years ago
Well then that would be the wrong policy, or the home owners hasn't read the PDS properly.
Imagine how many ppl would claim the lost something they never had,just to game insurance. It's up to consumers to get the right insurance, isn't it?
I will punch them so hard I'll break my wrist
Reality: Apart from making a huge noise, nothing
The only correct answer is as soon as you know there's a burglar, hit Ozb forums and start a thread
If nothing else it will give the Coroner something to read.
tell the intruder to hang around till you get advice on what to do on ozbargin while trying to recall moves you once saw on UFC and whether it will work on a guy twice your size.
Given some of the posts here, this is the most likely answer
Yes, head over the the post about the ADHD kid lobbing stuff over the fence as an example, and note the update.
The other side of the story or a very closely matching one.
You can get away with assault only if you scream loudly get away from me, so your neighbours can hear you.
Go ahead and whack the robber with whatever, as you can argue that the robber was about to harm you.
I have a dewalt axe under my bed for my protection.
I think I would size up who I was dealing with. If it was only 1 or 2 and they looked like junkies I would grab the knife. If it's a group (profanity) that, take what you want. Let the cops and insurance deal with the rest.
Growing up I only experienced 2 burglaries, one was going on while we had got home. Dad just called the cops and we sat outside watching. Luckily cops arrived while it was still happening and got the (profanity). Second time was just arriving home to a ransacked house.
If you're worried about being burgled, first thing you should do is ensure you have no knives/knife blocks on your kitchen bench.
A friend in the Police once advised me that most burglars are unarmed because, if caught in the act, they don't want a weapons charge also. If confronted by home owner, mid job, kitchen knives are visible and available weapons for them.
Absence of any ready weapons increases the probability they will flee if confronted.
Tbh this sounds reasonable. Not sure why you were down voted.
When our house was robbed (we were away), they used tools the neighbours kindly left outside.
Going equipped is a charge
Thank you, Davo1111. I agree :-)
Lots of 'born again' Kingsmen here..
If the 'once passive' burglar suddenly becomes your baseball/axe/meat cleaver target, pray that the wrestle that ensues, does not end with a half time change of weaponry ,in favour of a now angry petty thief, armed and dangerous (with a new score to settle).
I would do everything I can to deter them from considering my property to start with. But if they do then I have my family to protect. The law can take a hike, the burglars are not following the rules, so why should they be expecting me to
Exactly my take on the issue too.
Ideally lock yourself and your family in a room and call the police. Reality is your family may be spread out and there could be multiple home invaders sadly complying could be the best option give them everything they want.
If you do have to defend yourself dont hold back until they are on the ground subdued. Look at the strength of your doors and locks. Dont leave your car in the driveway because if they like the look of it they may break in to get the keys.
Scum usually go for easy targets or if they see something they want.
In regards to a weapon you just not allowed to not fair but in other parts of the world people have been shot and killed weren't criminals(mistaken identity such as a family member).
Having said that the burglar could have brought a "knife, machete or a metal baseball" to your house and in the struggle they got hurt.
I would probably let them take what they want and hope they leave ASAP, and call the police. Is it worth getting stabbed or worse over a watch or piece of jewelry?
Even if they are threatening, what are you going to do? You're faced with someone who is a probably a career criminal and has experience being violent. They may be armed and/or on drugs, and ready to fight. Do you fancy your chances of subduing someone like this?
The one exception that I think everyone can agree on is if the intruder is a direct and imminent threat to either myself or a family member. Would anyone here sit by while their wife is beaten or child attacked? I don't think so. In those extremely rare cases you do whatever is required. There won't be a jury in the country that will convict you.
Any intruder breaking into your home is a direct and imminent threat though.
chuck my balaclava on and keep sleeping
yes, you can have a thousand metal bats under your bed. it's how you use them that the gov has a problem with
There's a few 'heroes' here who would defs have a dedicated belfry for them said bats
In the words of Romancing the Stone.
“That was the end of Grogan… the man who killed my father, raped and murdered my sister, burned my ranch, shot my dog, and stole my Bible! But if there was one law of the west: Bastards had brothers, who seemed to ride forever.”
You can guarantee that if you hurt some burglar there will be people who will target you.
dont act all macho, things usually dont work out like they do in the movies, and being that we are not in the wild wild west (USA) guns are a rarity in break ins.
just go with it if they confront you and hopefully only items will be damaged or taken and nothing unto you.
me on the other hand…. might have a mental breakdown, might start doing the revenge/ eye for an eye/ what goes around, comes around etc etc kind of a thing…. who knows, i wont.
remember, when seconds count, the police are only minutes away…
The police are hours away, not minutes.
I'd heard about this happening as well. Like the police show up 3 hours later or not at all?
Just tell them there's a car needing chasing. 20 cop cars there in mere minutes, closely followed by Channel 7,( the partner org.)
Response time is tied to media glory
Run to my room and lock the door, then grab my gun and shoot myself in the head to avoid the social interaction.
spray their face with mortein.
I have a steel bar under my bed. If I heard someone breaking in, I would grab the bar and run to the source of the noise. If they have weapons, then I will be swinging at them and would be within the law to do so as they are in my home with weapons. If they don't have weapons, then I will warn them to leave. If they don't leave, then they are a threat to me and I will start swinging and won't stop until they are severely hurt. When the police eventually come, I will tell the police that they broke into my house with a metal bar. I will say they attacked me with the bar and in the struggle, the metal bar dropped from their hands. I then picked up their bar and used it to defend myself. It would be a case of their word against mine, and seeing as they are in my house, I'm sure the police would believe me over someone who has committed a break and enter.
If you are smart and always stick to the self-defense argument, then you will not be punished. At the end of the day, they have come into your home. Your home is your castle and you have a right to defend it (and you should). Just make sure that you always tell the Police that they attacked you first (even if they didn't).
We cannot let these criminals continue to get away with breaking into peoples house. They keep doing it because too many people let them, making it such an easy way for them to make money. More people need to stand up for themselves and for our community. I know that not everyone will have the confidence or ability to protect themselves, but those who are capable should really do so.
So lie and commit perjury and fraud ? Which country did you import this colonial mentality from?
What is wrong with you? Why are you posting negatively on the comments of everyone who doesn't want to be a wimp like you? Just because you are happy to allow criminals to come into your house and steal all your stuff, it doesn't mean that we all need to think like you do. The laws in this country are a joke. So many of these criminals are repeat offenders or first time offenders who see no punishment being given out and are therefore not afraid to commit crime. The laws are setup to disadvantage honest and hard working citizens, so therefore it is our backwards laws that drive honest people to "commit perjury and fraud" so as to not get into trouble for doing something that should be their right to do in the first place. How about you stop posting negative comments on everyone you disagree with here and instead send negative letters to our judges who keep giving offenders a slap on the wrist?
'we all' ? So there's now a whole club of people who break a whole set of laws because somehow you appointed yourselves above laws and yet you're here whinging about a fictional burglar breaking laws? Not once was it EVER mentioned by OP that the 'alleged' local break ins resulted in weapons used by either party.
What's the name of your powerful group?
"The laws are setup to disadvantage honest and hard working citizens" Utter confected rubbish
@PleasureMe
And when it's your drunk mates stupidly coming around 'for a lark' and you start swinging your steel bar for the fences?
Or it's your daughter sneaking in her new boyfriend?
We cannot let these criminals continue to get away with breaking into peoples house
They keep doing it
Blah, blah, blah.
You make it sound like there are multiple home invasions weekly in 50% of Australian homes.
Sorry to bring facts to a (steel bar) fight… https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/crime-and-justice/c….
Most personal crimes in Australia are at near historical lows. Despite what the 6:30 shows may tell you. What you fear and describe was more an issue in the 70's, and indeed at Federation, at the turn of the 20th century, than it is now.
As for arming yourself (with a steel bar or an AK47)… many studies have shown that the outcomes are nearly always worse for the self-armed defender than the attacker.
Of course, in some people's 'Their home is their castle / Charles Bronson / Rambo-like' minds rational thought is often not their priority.
Armed burglaries are so rare in Australia, and armed burglaries leading to actual violence are even rarer; one is many times more likely to be assaulted by a family member.
So you are a cop and when somebody tried to break into your home you assaulted them?
Did you call the police or arrest them yourself, or just give them a beating?
Did you threaten them with your service weapon or use your baton? Or did you just use your fists to make it "like force"?
When you did serve a warrant, and it worried you that the occupants might also default to violence in "defense" did it give you any pause before advising the community to engage violently if someone ever tries to break in, like you are doing here?
He demonstrates that protocols are clearly being breached.Otherwise everyone being killed by police guns must be carrying guns which is not the case.Hardly ever
Yes but a geriatric with a walker and serrated steak knife are considered an equal threat to two armed Police officers.
@tonka: Touche.
And they buried the truth for weeks on end. Then (as usual) police investigated police. The top cop left information out from the very beginning dressed as, 'protecting the family'. Disgusting and unforgivable atrocity.
@Protractor: I really don't understand how the charges weren't upgraded to murder when she died. If it wasn't murder than the dude is an complete imbecile and I'd like to know how he got through the screening to become a cop.
@Wayne7497: I agree, but I've observed enough (including friends/family) to know there's too many that do see the whole public as 'lesser than' and perps and can't handle the authority they have without bullying. Hopefully this is an incident that helps bring a desire for honor into the service. And yeah I can understand people see stuff and get jaded but the young ones are probably the worst.
The criminals deserve everything they get when the enter your home.
What? E V E R Y T H I N G ! ?
Like cash,jewels,sex toys,gold bullion,guinea pig,souvenir Hawaiian pens?
What about if somebody enters your home without your permission - say a police officer executing a warrant. Should you violently engage with them? Or maybe hold off till they can demonstrate they aren’t criminals?
@Protractor: I need to get a big “NOT CRIMINAL” tattoo visible across my neck or face so I am not assaulted if I enter a neighbour’s home to tell them their dog is out or car lights are left on.
That way I will be certain I won’t be attacked.
And for the record, a dog on the loose is exactly the kind of thing I might end up going round the back of your place if there was no answer and I thought you might be in the back shed or something.
@mskeggs: Do you usually break and enter to tell you neighbors their dog is out or car lights are on?
So many ways to do it…
Even if burglar was unarmed and you smash his head in with a baseball bat, when he's on the ground grab a knife from the kitchen, place it in his hand and tell the cops he came in swinging.
Self defence box ticked…
Nah, better let them stab you, steal your things, have police fingerprint your house then do almost nothing to catch the burglar(s). Take time off work, file insurance claim, have multiple assessors come to your house, pay hundreds of dollars on your excess then thousands more on rising premiums in years to come. Then one day, IF the burglar(s)'s caught, they get a slap on the wrist and set free. In any case if you were defending your home, and family, you'd probably get convicted for doing so whilst the burglar walks free to invade another person's home. May as well hand them your wallet, car/house keys and phone with the PIN written down :)
Trouble reading old chap?
"Even if burglar was unarmed"
@Protractor: You enter my house with the intent to either steal or harm (as the home owner I am not going to ask - I am going to assume you are here to do both), all morals and ethics go out the window. Its simply me against you at that point.
You take the risk you suffer the consequences and I will hurt, kill, lie or cheat to ensure you suffer the most immediately or for the rest of your days.
Don't want to risk it? Don't break into my house.
@bobolo: I get it.
No morals or ethics required, in your space.
Should be an interesting scenario if the Beagle Boys drop in announced to your place.Keep me posted
@Protractor: Yes, English is my third language, sorry. May as well put a sign up saying burglars welcome, free stuff inside! At least they know if they walk in unarmed they have free reign on anything they like with zero consequences. Sweet.
this is all obviously all hypothetical and probably things people wish they would be able to do if the situation arises. In a flight or fight response you don't have time to think "oh hey this person isn't coming here to hurt me" your protective instincts kick in
It' amazing that you would rather let them do whatever they want instead of trying to stand up for yourself. I feel bad for anyone that is under your care.
Another fabrication of my position. I'll remind you. Max out protection of your own place.
Makes other places easy.
Do not be proactively violent.
Careful what you wish for.
Know your rights (not online opinion mashups)
You can add >have a plan that keeps you and yours safe.
This thread is about 'burglars'. (if that) Not kidnappers, not home invasions, not terrorist events.
Your observation about fight & flight is correct. That's why in real life (not forum fantasyland) most people don't attack burglars. And vice versa.Given the amount of burglaries, where is all the supporting evidence that the events are violent in either direction. There's a cost of living crisis on which means the rate of petty crime is on the rise.
@Protractor: your mindset is more a utopia and peoples responses are also more of a fantasy
You're expecting that when people rob your house, you just hand them over everything, claim everything through insurance and they will get caught and be in jail for ever. Firstly, not everything is insurable, secondly none of these criminals ever get caught and are released probably within 24 hours because they are most likely underage and get away with it. Lastly, remember that if you've been a target once, you will be a target again because of how easy it is to rob your house if it's been broken into once.
How you are more empathetic for people who are going through a cost-of-living crisis and therefore justifying their actions and not people defending themselves because someone has come in their house is beyond me.
Of course, majority of people here aren't going to fully act on what they are saying but they might certainly try, if the consequence of them trying to defend themselves in a flight or fight response is having to claim self-defense then I certainly approve.
Remember that EVERYONE is going through cost-of-living crisis and when someone breaks in and steals thousands of dollars' worth of non insurable items, it hurts just the same
@Protractor: You seem to assume that when someone breaks and enters into your home, there is time analyse if they have a weapon and to negotiate with the perpetrator what their intentions are, and if its simply to steal, you would leave them alone
In reality, when someone breaks into your home, it is ONLY safe to assume they are here to do their absolute worst - rape, terrorise, invade, kidnap, steal, murder. As such you MUST defend yourself accordingly including inflicting the worst type of violence on them
Many people including myself are relatively healthy, muscular and fit now. They gym several times a week and even train in boxing or MMA. You know your way around your home best and it wouldn't be difficult to surprise attack a perpetrator in the cover of night with a weapon you've kept under your bed
At the end of the day, its either you or them
So what if you kill him and de-value your house by $100K.
No house in Sunnyvale is (a) owned by occupant or (b) worth $100K or (c) likely to be broken into.
Ask Paulie
Let them take my wife. Even if they weren't asking for it.
call dial before u dig
A couple of year back, two burglars broke into a place near me.
One of them was killed by a sword, which apparently he had brought with him. There were no witnesses to say otherwise.
But the residents had military training. Unless you are expert in hand-to-hand combat, discretion is the better part of valour.
https://www.watoday.com.au/national/western-australia/two-ma…