Post by Madhatter on Aug 22, 2006 1:08:05 GMT
"A survey carried out by a home security firm suggests eight out of 10 people said they would "use anything at hand to defend themselves if faced with an intruder".
According to the British Crime Survey, 12% of the public fear their homes will be broken into.
Mary* is one of them.
After being burgled twice within six months, she decided to leave a note in her jewellery box for thieves planning to help themselves to her valuables.
It read simply: "You took it all the last time".
Between 2000 and 2003 the 19th century Dorset cottage she shared with her husband was targeted by thieves three times.
So when their new house alarm sounded one night while her husband was away, she grabbed a metal poker in her bedroom and headed for the landing.
"I was incandescent, I was not really thinking. I felt I could have murdered someone," explained Mary.
Fortunately there was no intruder in her home.
"When I contacted the police they told me off and said I should have called them and not gone to investigate myself," she added.
But her willingness to take matters into own hands despite her age - she is in her late 60s - reflects some people's attitude towards burglary, a survey suggests.
According to a Crimestoppers-backed study carried out by the home security firm Micromark, eight out of 10 people said they would "use anything at hand to defend themselves if faced with an intruder".
Of the men interviewed 13% said they would use a knife and one in 10 revealed they would use a gun to keep their family and possessions safe.
More than 80% of the people questioned also revealed they thought it was unfair to prosecute people who protect their property with a weapon.
'Blamed each other'
The 1,264 people interviewed for the survey were drawn from London and across Britain, including the East Anglia, the Midlands, the North West, Wales and Scotland.
"If you disturb a burglar and they come towards you with menace you should be able to protect yourself without being prosecuted and being put in prison," said Mary.
The first time the couple's Ferndown home was broken into in 2000, they had gone out for the evening. The thieves forced open a back door.
"When we arrived home at about 10pm, we accused each other of having left the back door open until we entered our house and saw it had been ransacked," explained Mary.
"It was very frightening to think that someone had been in our house - I felt invaded."
The burglars had pulled a small window off its hinges to gain access to the kitchen. The couple later fixed a metal bar across it but intruders pulled it out when they targeted the property six months later.
She added: "I was horrified they had got in the same way fairly soon after the last one, they stole £1,000 worth of jewellery including brooches and a ring but it's their sentimental value that makes them irreplaceable.
"I would like the opportunity to meet the people who broke into my home so I could ask them: why?"
Andrew Buckingham, from Victim Support, said: "The law is quite clear on the use of reasonable force to defend oneself.
"But your home is supposed to be a place where you feel safe so I am not surprised that people feel so strongly about burglary.""
* Mary is not her real name.
"The law is quite clear on the use of reasonable force to defend oneself."
Victim Support
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5266064.stm
How far would you go to defend your home if you discovered burglars either in the night night or on your return home ? Would you pick up something to hit or stab them with, would you run the risk of becoming the offender rather than the victim ?
According to the British Crime Survey, 12% of the public fear their homes will be broken into.
Mary* is one of them.
After being burgled twice within six months, she decided to leave a note in her jewellery box for thieves planning to help themselves to her valuables.
It read simply: "You took it all the last time".
Between 2000 and 2003 the 19th century Dorset cottage she shared with her husband was targeted by thieves three times.
So when their new house alarm sounded one night while her husband was away, she grabbed a metal poker in her bedroom and headed for the landing.
"I was incandescent, I was not really thinking. I felt I could have murdered someone," explained Mary.
Fortunately there was no intruder in her home.
"When I contacted the police they told me off and said I should have called them and not gone to investigate myself," she added.
But her willingness to take matters into own hands despite her age - she is in her late 60s - reflects some people's attitude towards burglary, a survey suggests.
According to a Crimestoppers-backed study carried out by the home security firm Micromark, eight out of 10 people said they would "use anything at hand to defend themselves if faced with an intruder".
Of the men interviewed 13% said they would use a knife and one in 10 revealed they would use a gun to keep their family and possessions safe.
More than 80% of the people questioned also revealed they thought it was unfair to prosecute people who protect their property with a weapon.
'Blamed each other'
The 1,264 people interviewed for the survey were drawn from London and across Britain, including the East Anglia, the Midlands, the North West, Wales and Scotland.
"If you disturb a burglar and they come towards you with menace you should be able to protect yourself without being prosecuted and being put in prison," said Mary.
The first time the couple's Ferndown home was broken into in 2000, they had gone out for the evening. The thieves forced open a back door.
"When we arrived home at about 10pm, we accused each other of having left the back door open until we entered our house and saw it had been ransacked," explained Mary.
"It was very frightening to think that someone had been in our house - I felt invaded."
The burglars had pulled a small window off its hinges to gain access to the kitchen. The couple later fixed a metal bar across it but intruders pulled it out when they targeted the property six months later.
She added: "I was horrified they had got in the same way fairly soon after the last one, they stole £1,000 worth of jewellery including brooches and a ring but it's their sentimental value that makes them irreplaceable.
"I would like the opportunity to meet the people who broke into my home so I could ask them: why?"
Andrew Buckingham, from Victim Support, said: "The law is quite clear on the use of reasonable force to defend oneself.
"But your home is supposed to be a place where you feel safe so I am not surprised that people feel so strongly about burglary.""
* Mary is not her real name.
"The law is quite clear on the use of reasonable force to defend oneself."
Victim Support
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5266064.stm
How far would you go to defend your home if you discovered burglars either in the night night or on your return home ? Would you pick up something to hit or stab them with, would you run the risk of becoming the offender rather than the victim ?
