Got robbed last night

[Korto]

Someone broke into the garage. Only found out this morning when I went to feed the chooks. I see this pushbike leaning against the outside of my garage ("Hello? What's that doing there?"), open the door to the garage and "What the fuck?!". Garage's been trashed, I'm picking my way through the mess and suddenly I think "Hang on. Shouldn't I be standing in the middle of a motorbike right now?"

Anyway, forensics has come to dust for prints, although she wasn't real optimistic as far as I could see. It rained on the pushbike last night, and inside the garage it's all dusty or bad surfaces (What!? You mean CSI lied to me!? Enhance, damn it!).

So that's one postie bike stolen, which is a pain, and after cleaning up the mess, I can add a circular saw I got for Christmas, a 6V motorcycle battery still in its box, and half a box of welding rods for a stick welder (Why?).

Yes, the bike's insured, but the excess is so much I don't know if it's worth claiming. Bike cost me and is insured for $1500, and the excess is $1200. Then I'll have to worry if claiming will increase my premiums. No claim bonus and all that. Really, I has the insurance in case of accidents, because Comprehensive was cheaper than 3rd Party (No, I don't understand that either).
No, the garage wasn't locked. It's an old garage, and the lock's broken. It's off the street concealed in a private lane way, so I was relying on that. Hell, it's worked for a pretty long time.

I asked, and in the cop's experience, if the bike doesn't turn up in a week, write it off.

[Korto]

Surprising development. About an hour after the last post, and just as I was taking the kids to the park, the cops turn up, one pushing my bike! Turns out it had been dumped on the side of the road, along with my circular saw and possibly the other stuff, about a block away. Why? Maybe they saw a cop car going past, or got sick of pushing the bike in the rain and said "Fuck it"

Anyway, the cops are keeping the saw for a bit while they find if there's any usable prints, but the rain means nothing on the bike.

Well, I'll now see what I can do about securing that garage given that now they know it's there they could come foraging again, but I can't make it truly secure. Maybe a bag full of huntsmen above the door. They're not dangerous, but scary as fuck when they fall on you.

Funny thing I forgot to mention before. You remember that pushie they left behind (the one I'll claim if no one comes forward for it)? It had a sticker with its maker's name on it--the "Stolen Bike Co". I kid you not.

[Soontir C'boath]

Glad to read all is well in the end.

I wonder if your insurance would have wanted to cover anything given they could cite the broken lock as your fault.

[madd0ct0r]

bolts into the concrete slab, padlock through door and trhough bolted hoop.

[Purple]

What ever you chose to do do it as soon as possible. Now the thieves have marked you as an easy target they probably will come again.

[Raw Shark]

If the alley the garage door opens onto is poorly-lit, a single bright light, placed too high to break or inside a metal cage, and linked to a motion sensor, can startle sneak thieves (plus random crackheads, drunks trying to take a leak, etc) away very cheaply and effectively.

[Purple]

Personally I would not rely on any method that works by scaring the thief away. I'd much rather stop him from opening the door than bank on him maybe getting scared off by a light.

[Korto]

Yeah...there's pros and cons. You know that problem where if a security measure is a bit of trouble, people stop doing it? Yeah, I'm fucking terrible for that. So something I can set and forget has its advantages. There is the minor problem there's no power in the garage, but there is such a thing as solar.

There's no practical way I can make it so someone can't get into the garage if they really wanted. There's a normal door in, which I today put a sliding bolt on, but the door's made out of 1/2 inch pine. A lackadaisical effort with a large screwdriver and you could rip the damn bolt off--or you could go through the window. But if I could make the garage car door impossible to open, that would leave them only the person door, and that would be...not impossible, but...difficult...to get the bike to and through and out.
Actually, the sliding bolt probably isn't too bad. A bigger risk is me stopping locking it, because I'm in and out of it all the time.

Don't know what the insurance company would have said. I suspect they would have paid (after all, they insure vehicles in car ports), but there may have been some nasty words spoken. I probably wouldn't have claimed anyway, for the reasons given.

[Purple]

One thing you could do is get one of those spring loaded house door bolts that lock automatically when you slam the door shut. I have one of them on my door and it means I don't have to think about locking it manually.

[Skywalker4eva]

Ugh sorry to hear that! It's one of the worst feelings ever. Feels so violating. Hope the prints will turn up in some database and you can get the guy. People these days...

[Sea Skimmer]

There's no practical way I can make it so someone can't get into the garage if they really wanted. There's a normal door in, which I today put a sliding bolt on, but the door's made out of 1/2 inch pine. A lackadaisical effort with a large screwdriver and you could rip the damn bolt off--or you could go through the window.

Just freaking lock it man.

With a chainsaw someone can probably carve right through your walls too, and you know you steal most cars built before the 2000s with a hammer and a screwdriver . Does that mean everyone should leave the keys in the ignition? Of course not. Doing nothing because it isn't perfect is dumb.

Even the most utterly basic locks will deter all casual thefts by non professionals, kids, morons ect... That eliminates the vastly majority of the problem. And even if a pro thief shows up, they aren't likely to waste time figuring out if a lock is solid or easily broken without a specific reason to want to rob a specific property. So if you aren't flaunting high value stuff they'll never bother. That's part of the 'pro' thing.

It also eliminates the other problem people have already alluded to, which is random drunk or crazy people ending up inside your property. I know people both have happened too after they left doors unlocked, nobody got hurt but it is a very unpleasant thing in either case.

Glad you got your stuff back.

[Lord Revan]

I said in 90% cases of "preventing" break ins it was less about "I can't get in here" but rather "it would be too much work for me to get in here", it's not about making so no can get in without your premission but rather that doing so would be so much work that most criminals would go for an easier target.

[Purple]

I said in 90% cases of "preventing" break ins it was less about "I can't get in here" but rather "it would be too much work for me to get in here", it's not about making so no can get in without your premission but rather that doing so would be so much work that most criminals would go for an easier target.

It's the exact same logic as computer security.

[Lord Revan]

I said in 90% cases of "preventing" break ins it was less about "I can't get in here" but rather "it would be too much work for me to get in here", it's not about making so no can get in without your premission but rather that doing so would be so much work that most criminals would go for an easier target.

It's the exact same logic as computer security.

more or less most home security systems won't stop a thief who really wants to get in this exact building/home, but most homes don't have enough loot in them to make it worth while for the criminals try bypassing the security, it's just easier to look for another target.

[Raw Shark]

Personally I would not rely on any method that works by scaring the thief away. I'd much rather stop him from opening the door than bank on him maybe getting scared off by a light.

Yes, my advice was meant to be supplemental to suggestions that he put a lock on it, sorry if that was unclear. Thieves are less likely to stand around trying to jimmy a lock with a bright light on them.

[Korto]

I've reviewed this thread, and what Korto is doing here is called "Letting the perfect be the enemy of the good", where, because a solution is not the absolute perfect answer, you discard it in the ongoing search for that mythical perfection.

Why would Korto be doing such a thing? Isn't that kind of stupid?
Well, in my observations of Korto over the years, he doesn't much like doing work, spending money, or upsetting his comfortable little life, and this is one of his favoured tactics to come up with excuses for not doing anything. Since the solution isn't perfect, it's not good enough! Oh, and "Yes".
But don't worry. Either Korto will come to his senses and start taking the security of his garage a little more seriously, or in some indeterminate time in the future, you'll all have a chance to point and laugh at him.

[Enigma]

Some garage doors have a latch that you can slide into the rail, preventing it from being opened from the outside. If you don't have one then make one if you can or buy one and install it.

A latch can also be useful to lock your other door and one that leads to the house interior. Except for the latter, the latch would be facing inside the house.

There is no perfect solution, just one that causes too much trouble for your average crook.