|
Post by violet on Oct 22, 2013 20:38:46 GMT 11
There was a knock at the door today. It was a tentative knock, which concerned me for some reason I was unable to identify.
I walked quietly to the front room of the house and peered out, unseen, toward the verandah where the person knocking stood. It was a man, in his 30's, tall, slim and strong-jawed. Maybe a little too slim. He was rubbing his hands over his upper arms, like he was warming them up, and he was kind of jiggling around. I didn't recognise him from anywhere.
I quietly walked to the back of the house and later checked to see if he'd gone away, which he had.
He could have been selling something. There was no car or any other indication of why he was there.
So here's my question: what do you do to keep safe when you're home alone? With our dog now gone (it was a year last week), there's no barking or any other noise really coming from the house.
It got me thinking that I'm quite vulnerable, even though the house is secure (one front door, one back door, no big glass windows, etc.).
Elisa
|
|
Linda
Moderator
~Exuberant Seachanger~
Posts: 2,524
|
Post by Linda on Oct 22, 2013 22:03:23 GMT 11
That's a very good question, Elisa. The situation you wrote about does sound a bit questionable for sure. I too would be nervous if I looked out and saw that. I keep my front door locked at all times when I am home or not. This goes against the grain here where most people not only leave their doors unlocked all of the time (whether they are home or not), but expect people to walk in without even knocking. (We've had more than one strange look and talking to about knocking on the door lol) Years ago when I'd first moved out on my own, my dad would lecture me about keeping my door locked even when I was home. I thought that was rather strange thing to do, until one time I was in my bedroom doing something. I just happened to catch a glimpse of 'something' in the dresser mirror....which was someone standing in the front hallway. (The mirror was situated so the angle picked up out there). It turned out to be my dad...but it took me a few seconds to even recognize who it was...I was just so shocked and then afraid to see someone there when a) I hadn't let him in and b) I didn't even hear the door open or shut. Point taken and from then on, I've always kept the door locked.
|
|
|
Post by violet on Oct 24, 2013 19:32:56 GMT 11
Oh, wow, that would have given you a fright, Linda. We have deadlocks front and back (and locks on all windows). There is a narrow panel of glass each side of the front door frame, from about door knob height up to the top of the door. It's pretty thick and would take some determination to break. I don't lock our doors when home - as per the advice of the fire department - however locking them actually deadlocks them, which is another step up from just shutting the door, which engages the lock. Hm, I don't know how to explain it. Each entry door has a doorknob, a secondary lock underneath that plus a deadlock about a foot above the doorknob. On the outside there's a round metal plate with a keyhole, the inside has the turnlatch. If the door is shut, a key is required to open the lock from the outside, but from the inside the latch can be turned. Once it's locked - deadlocked - a key is required to open the lock from the inside or from the outside. The doors don't need to be locked, therefore, when you're home. The point of them is to make it harder for a burglar to carry stuff out - they'd have to smash the door down or climb back out however they got in. Our doors are solid, front and back. I chose all this stuff thirty years ago when we bought the house - seems I've been a bit of a worrier all my adult life! www.lockweb.com.au/en/site/lockweb/Products/?groupId=473&productId=35Still, I felt really uncomfortable and was glad when the guy left. I hovered around, wondering if he'd appear in the backyard at some stage, but he didn't. Usually I open the door without thinking, but something caused me to hesitate this time. Thankfully a key is always required to get in, so if I hear a rattle, I know who it's likely to be. I'd be horrified if anyone appeared in the house without my knowledge, as happened to you, Linda.
|
|
|
Post by braided-rug on Nov 4, 2013 18:43:20 GMT 11
Security doors that are snibbed is what I used when I lived in a bigger town. I have my sliding doors locked here and front door like yours Elisa.
Any sort of snibbed flyscreen or peephole will work. I had a peephole in my first house. Secure locked tall side gate and always kept back door locked.
Second house people walked in, I installed a chain lock and deadlock on laundry door.
|
|