Have you ever lived in South Africa BlueBelle? They have a terrifying crime rate. My mother in law lived in a second floor apartment. One night she woke up to a man beside her bed going through her dressingtable drawer. She shouted at him (very bravely) and he ran.
My brother in law, in his 70s, was in his kitchen having a cuppa when a group of men broke in and tied him up before taking his computer and other goods.
This is why many people have guns. I'm not condoning it at all - obviously - but I do have understanding about that fear, especially if you have no legs!