This week my house was broken into. We were woken when they were at our front door at 5am. After hearing us get up they scarpered, but not before driving off with our car which they'd managed to get the keys for from the house.
Over the last few days I've been astonished at the number of people I know whose homes have been broken into at some stage or another. The numbers are inevitably going to be going up too with rising unemployment.
As people who have been through this know, it's a time of vulnerability. Your home isn't quite the same afterward. Possessions come and go, but the main thing is the family are fine and no one was hurt.
When I'm being philosophical about it, I did manage to get a look at the two boys who did it. And I do mean boys. They were very professional in how they drove off with the car, but they barely looked old enough to drive. What kind of circumstances must they have been brought up in, and live in currently, to be patrolling the streets when people are sleeping to do this kind of thing?
As my son asked innocently afterwards "Won't their mums ask where they got that car from?". If only life were that simple.
I'd like to thank family and friends who have been absolutely awesome in helping out these last few days.
Hi Osama,
Really sorry to here about this. I was burgled a few years ago and it is a horrible experience, leaving you feeling very vulnerable - especially when you have kids in the house. I admire your ability to remain calm! Hope things work out and your wife and children are none the worse.
Joan
Posted by: Joan McAlpine | 18 January 2010 at 02:12 PM
Where I live (without mentioning any city names) there are 3 types of neighbourhoods. The posh area, the mixed middle class area and the slightly run down mixed area. Recently, we had a community meeting and I happen to live on the border line of posh area and mixed middle class area.
A ex-police officer who happens to live in the mixed middle class area happened to present a article which he compiled with various sources of information and I was shocked with this assessment.
There are 3 main roads around the 3 areas, all these main roads circle each area, what he provided evidence for and claimed, was that in the slightly run down area the police are containing crime, and allowing it to happen as long as it does not spill over, the mixed middle class area is where the police try to control and also contain crime, but in the posh are the police are there in a flash if they see a suspicious car or activity.
It seemed that police were happy for crime to exist in other two areas apart from the posh area, and that as long as it happened in the slightly run area and mixed middle class area they would just monitor it in case they started controlling the crime it could spill over into all 3 areas. The community are deeply upset by this and have asked the police for a community meeting and so far it has been since October 2009 and we have heard nothing such.
It seems the Police have got their training from either the Israeli's who contain terrorism in particular areas and monitor it or they got their skills from Iraq where buffer zones are popular.
Shocking news indeed.
Posted by: Free Mind Movement | 19 January 2010 at 01:03 AM