Attempted Break In - Kitchen Window Smashed

[ATM]

Woke up this morning to find my kitchen window smashed. Called 101 and gave up after 2 ours on hold. Reported the crime online.

I dont believe anyone came in but cant be certain. So above the kitchen sink I have a medium sized which opens and then a smaller pane above. They have smashed the smaller pane and reached down I assume to open the handle for the larger pane. It was not locked but it is now. I'll attach some pics.

Nothing gone. I dont believe anyone came in but they were not far off.

My first thought was some how an object or animal or house movement had smashed the window. Which obviously makes absolutely no sense. The glass is all outside and hardly any inside. It was only on further inspection outside that I saw marks around the frame.

[ATM]

[ATM]

[ATM]

[ATM]

[ATM]

These are the cars I have outside - above.

[ATM]

[ATM]

I have a little gate on the drive which I could close and chain and padlock. That would completely close off the drive. Its not a massive gate or very robust but it's something. Would that deter them?

[ATM]

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[ATM]

The Porsches made the cut. The BMW didn't.

[ATM]

Bodo said:

ATM said:

Everybody willing to get into your garden will just climb over the fence on the left. It wouldn't even be much of an obstacle if it was double the height.

I'm trying to prevent easy removal of the cars, only.

[ATM]

Bodo said:

Understood. Park the BMW closer to the gate, leaving only the footpath clear, that way the BMW and the gate have to be removed first before they pull the pork off your plate...

Its temporarily a none runner.

[ATM]

TimmyMallett said:

Fair play for putting his nice new Velar in the way of some uninsured gimps.

Although his insurance company might not agree with you.

[ATM]

[ATM]

Its a difficult decision. Make it more difficult in case they are just chancers. Then run the risk of dealing with an angry mob. I'm taking precautions inside the house too so once they are in the house they wont be getting into my bedroom too easily. And I'll be using the alarm too which up until now I never bothered with.

[ATM]

The glass man has just been. There are marks on the bigger panels frame. He thinks they were trying to remove the glass quietly. Failed with the big one and then switched to the smaller one. Smashing the smaller one made much less noise. But I don't know what they were thinking.

[ATM]

BillyB said:

Would external security lights help as a deterence too? I think I'd be trying to make my house as bright and univiting to the toerags as possible.

Its not hard to smash a light is it?

[ATM]

Not exactly a good night's sleep. Constantly wandering if I heard a noise. Barricading myself into the bedroom might not be the best idea going forward. It makes it harder to go check the perimeter which I had hoped would force me to just get on with sleeping. The other option was to sleep downstairs. Perhaps I'll try that tonight / tomorrow. I can't decide if I want an earlier notification something is happening - sleeping downstairs - or more time to hide basically - barricading myself into the bedroom.