Burgled while we were at home

So sorry. That disgusting person, or persons, are real low life.
I hope you get your belongings back, and I hope they catch
whoever did this to you.

It is such a horrible feeling. You have my sympathies. It's a hard experience to get over, if you ever can.

Many years ago I rented a house whilst I was looking to buy one. I then lived by myself. Woke up one morning to find my phone missing from it's charging holder. I used to leave my bags on the settee ready for work Purse missing from my bag. I'd locked all the doors. He/she/they got in through a small window at the top of kitchen window.

When I bought a house, I checked on burglary rates for the area. I had an alarm fitted to the house. It needed new glazing so fitted new windows with locks. Last thing I did at night was switch the alarm on.

Just a thought. A few days after our burglary, the Police asked me to look at jewellery in a nearby Pawnbrokers to see if there was anything I recognized and report back. Sadly there wasn’t and it still upsets me that my Mum’s diamond ring probably bought £25 worth of drugs.

How frightening for you both.

It has made me think, as I frequently have my kitchen door and windows (upstairs and down) open all day.

Lowest of the low! Probably just as well you didn't confront them though.
We had a bad burglary once. Top tip - be careful of the numbers you use to contact insurance companies (loads of post burglary admin you might not think of). We found they all used premium price numbers so we felt robbed all over again when we got the phone bill.

DH was dealing with his late mother's financial affairs and the burglars took all the passbooks etc as well as our passports. They found spare keys for our cars too. Apparently, they come back at night and take the cars. The police arranged for our cars to be taken away to have their locks changed. Unfortunately, the fingerprints team were too busy so we had to spend the night in our wrecked house not touching anything or tidying up.
We never got anything back.
Horrible memory.

Sorry you have had such a horrid experience.
Maybe it would be wort considering changing your front door to one that cannot be opened from outside even if not locked.
Hope you get things sorted quickly.

lincolnimp how frightening for you, you must be feeling unnerved and angry too at the loss of items with sentimental value. What a nerve, when they knew you were at home!
As someone suggested, do ask your neighbours to check their bins as they may have dumped your memento box as of no value to them.

I can`t add anything more Lincolnimp than what the Gransnetters have said,so sorry for you both.
Actually the one thing i can add is that i`m glad you are both safe and un-harmed physically.

lincolnimp, what a horrible experience for you. Thankfully you are not physically harmed but it is still very distressing.
I hope your insurance company treat you well and that your keepsakes turn up somewhere.
Try to have a peaceful day and keep those doors locked.

How horrible for you, this is something I absolutely dread. I have heard a suggestion to keep a 'dummy bag' downstairs with old defunct credit cards in and a very small amount of cash which a burglar may take quickly and then leave.

There is conflicting advice about whether or not to take your bag upstairs - I keep mine by the bedside. Late MIL had her bag taken as she always left it by her chair - the scumbag got in through a kitchen window which she'd forgotten to close. Very distressing.

I’m so sorry this has happened to you. You must feel violated but at least you’ve not been physically harmed. A number of my friends have been burgled so may I pass on some suggestions based upon their experiences and the advice they had from the police?
As well as looking in bins it might be worth checking front gardens, especially bushes and hedges, for anything discarded.
Can you put out a message locally - say on FB/local Homewatch site - so you reach a wider audience who can look for you?
Rough pubs (hopefully no pubs open now) have been used to sell on jewellery within hours of theft.
Open air markets are another location - selling stolen goods takes place well before stalls are set up. A visit at sparrowfart?
It might be a good time to install a camera overlooking your driveway.
Good luck!

What a horrible experience for you. I bet you still feel very shaken up.

Last Saturday we were having a stroll through the castle grounds in a nearby town and a few police were around presumably ready to pounce on any groups sitting in the sunshine on the grass.

I commented to my husband that the police probably don’t have many real crimes like burglaries to investigate at the moment with so many people at home.

Your story just goes to show that even occupied properties don’t always deter the low life.

It sounds like an opportunistic burglary rather than planned, frightening and your experience is a salutary lesson to all of us, lincolnimp.

JenniferEccles I think that cyber crime and dognapping have increased during the lockdown.

Very sorry to hear this. Have been burgled 3 times over the years, twice when we were away and once at home! We were lucky with the "home" visit and managed to.scare them off before anything was taken or someone injured. Very scary! On the previous occasions they took some beautiful valuable family jewellery, money, a new tv set and some small kitchen items. Nothing ever recovered of course. Insurance money does help but precious items are so missed. Police were very good and so reassuring. I too check all my doors twice!

That's horrible! I hope you find some of your missing things. My Mum had her handbag pinched from the church she goes to - she cares for the garden as it sits in a plot of land which isn't a cemetery. Sadly, as she'd gone out in a rush she'd put her engagement rings (the original and the one my Dad bought her on their 25th wedding anniversary) in her purse so she lost both of those. Not hugely valuable in money terms but irreplaceable as my Dad had died a few years earlier!

A colleague of my husband's realised they had been burgled when he couldn't find his watch in the morning - which had been on his bedside table! Admittedly this was in Hong Kong but still, the fact that they'd come into the bedroom while he and his wife were asleep was terrifying!

I wish my in-laws qould take note. They alwaus leave their front door unlocked. They have been burgled by someone who walked in to the lounge and got upstairs unnoticed. They still dont lock the door. We have walked in unnoticed too - we were expected but fil had popped out and mil was in the garden....

What an awful thing to happen. I keep my doors locked and I've a wee dog who lets me know if someone's at my house. My friend sent me pics, that had been put on Facebook the other day, that had been taken around our area to let me know a white van had been driving slowly with guys checking out the houses. I said could be burglars or dog nappers at it again. Terrible people who can take from others, no consciences whatsoever.

What an awful thing to happen to you both! Such a shock. It just shows you opportunists. When I moved 2 years ago there were certain nights where I forgot to lock the front door or the patio doors, all night! How lucky was I?
I do hope the insurance sorts you out, so very sorry about your irreplaceable items.

So sorry, it must be an awful shock for you.

How awful for you both

Oh, how awful, we were burgled whilst we were asleep, not pleasant at all. Unfortunately, most insurers will not cover you unless there is forced entry - I am paranoid about keeping the front door locked whilst we are in the garden etc

When I had my house alarm fitted, the installers put a sensor on the front door so that it beeps (a bit similar to the corner shop bell). And I wrapped some cow/goat bells on the patio doors handles. My son said I wouldn’t hear either of them because my tv is too loud.

oh gosh, so sorry to read these horrific stories.

I grew up in an era where we always had our doors open/unlocked,

fairly recently my family urged me to lock my doors, (dh died fairly recently)

it always feels so very strange, almost uncomfortable... but then... ho hum people have changed? or have they?

Oh poor you! Hope you get some things back and insurers honour your claim.