Home Invasions - What to do?

[roland]

Hmmmmm

I've got Siberian Huskies. Bloody useless guard dogs. Would lick them to death before biting them.

The discipline of the baseball bat is always useful. If someone is coming towards you in your own house, say get away. If they come for you, you are afraid for your life, you hit them once, very hard, in the head. Problem solved. And the police will be fine as you only hit them once.

if the guy, or guys are armed with firearms and a taser like the home invasion reported yesterday, a baseball bat is not much of a solution

 

[roland]

I wouldn't consider myself a whimp, I'm built like a brick outhouse, did 3 years of martial arts and 4 years of weight training in my younger days - but the couple of times I've been threatened physically, I've turned to jelly.

I think most people are the same and the would be home invaders rely on this, along with the element of surprise. If 2 or 3 guys force their way into my home I don't believe I am capable of protecting myself and my wife and this worries me.

 

[Dunger]

Check out the self defence laws before you start planning the untimely but worthy demise of future home invaders. You could end up getting a manslaughter charge for 'excessive self defence'.

Prevention is better than the cure and the German Shepherds are a good start.

 

[roland]

Check out the self defence laws before you start planning the untimely but worthy demise of future home invaders. You could end up getting a manslaughter charge for 'excessive self defence'.

Prevention is better than the cure and the German Shepherds are a good start.

Yes, that is wise advice, and actually I have done that. Generally speaking, common sense prevails in the reviews of cases I have studied. Self defense holds up much better on your own property than in other locations.

I don't believe that setting a dog onto someone is treated much differently than inflicting the same damage yourself.

 

[gooner]

I've got a steel door in front of the main door. Great for getting a breeze through the house when it is too hot. Also good for home invaders - open the main door and there is a piece of steel between you and whoever is there.

A front fence with gate can be useful - easy to jump over, but if you can have dogs there, this is a good deterrent.

Alarm systems have panic buttons that can link to the police station. They can also be set when you sleeping - you just set it for the zones you are not sleeping in.

Other thing is that home invasions are quite rare. I am in Ryde area where your sister is, and don't hear about them that often.

 

[roland]

I've got a steel door in front of the main door. Great for getting a breeze through the house when it is too hot. Also good for home invaders - open the main door and there is a piece of steel between you and whoever is there.

A front fence with gate can be useful - easy to jump over, but if you can have dogs there, this is a good deterrent.

Alarm systems have panic buttons that can link to the police station. They can also be set when you sleeping - you just set it for the zones you are not sleeping in.

Other thing is that home invasions are quite rare. I am in Ryde area where your sister is, and don't hear about them that often.

I guess it's like anything, you have to reduce the threat profile. Make yourself look like a less easy target than your neighbours.

 

[So_Cynical]

Hey nothing bad ever happens in Ryde...its all cool north of the river, that why we all live north of the river...unfortunately your sister met a nutter and suffered a 'near' worst case scenario etc etc.

The simple fact of life is that people = risk, so the more contact anyone has with them...the greater the risk.

 

[nunthewiser]

I still reckon shoot the bastards

 

[roland]

In Queensland, at least, you can pretty much do whatever it takes:


QLD Governments OCCUPANTS (HOME INVASION) PROTECTION BILL 2002

10 Immunity from civil liability
(1) This section applies if an occupant of a dwelling house or an invitee
in the dwelling house acts against an intruder in a way that is authorised
under section 7.
(2) The occupant or invitee is not civilly liable for any personal injury or
property damage suffered by the intruder, or by anyone else claiming under
or through the intruder, caused by, through or in connection with the
occupant or invitee acting against the intruder in the way authorised.
(3) In this section””
“personal injury” includes””
(a) fatal injury; and
(b) prenatal injury; and
(c) psychological or psychiatric injury; and
(d) disease.


Here is section 7

7 Defence against intruders
(1) It is lawful for an occupant of a dwelling house to use any force or do
anything else the occupant believes is necessary””
(a) to prevent an intruder from breaking or entering the dwelling
house; or
Occupants (Home Invasion) Protection Bill 2002
(b) to cause an intruder in the dwelling house to leave the dwelling
house; or
(c) to restrain an intruder who is breaking or entering the dwelling
house or is in the dwelling house until a police officer arrives; or
(d) to defend himself or herself, another occupant or anyone else
lawfully in the dwelling house (“invitee”) against violence used
or threatened against any of them by an intruder who is””
(i) attempting to break or enter the dwelling house; or
(ii) in the dwelling house; or
(e) to prevent an intruder from committing, or make an intruder stop
committing, an offence in the dwelling house.
(2) Subsection (1) applies, with necessary changes, to an invitee in a
dwelling house who””
(a) helps the occupant of the dwelling house to act against an
intruder in a way that is authorised under subsection (1); or
(b) with the occupant’s authority, express or implied, does something
the occupant is authorised to do under subsection (1).

 

[springhill]

Put a sign at the front gate "Trespassers will be sodomised" or "Beware of Dog", whichever way you wanna run. I know which one i'd be more scared of

 

[frankie_boy]

my sister is a school teacher, the guy was an ex student and besotted from afar (chinese national, student visa), he had stolen my sister's mobile and the police called it to say that she was at the station - so that's where he went, armed with a knife and all

mental

 

[Solly]

I still reckon shoot the bastards

nun, becoming a member of a pistol club does have its benefits

 

[Julia]

Hmmmmm

I've got Siberian Huskies. Bloody useless guard dogs. Would lick them to death before biting them.

That's interesting, gooner. They can be quite aggressive with other dogs so I'd have thought they'd be the same about their owners/property.

If they come for you, you are afraid for your life, you hit them once, very hard, in the head. Problem solved. And the police will be fine as you only hit them once.

Why is it OK to hit them once? What about if you don't hit hard enough and need to give another whack to equate to what a harder first blow would do?

 

[Julia]

I wouldn't consider myself a whimp, I'm built like a brick outhouse, did 3 years of martial arts and 4 years of weight training in my younger days - but the couple of times I've been threatened physically, I've turned to jelly.

I think most people are the same and the would be home invaders rely on this, along with the element of surprise. If 2 or 3 guys force their way into my home I don't believe I am capable of protecting myself and my wife and this worries me.

I think that's being very realistic. It's easy to say 'whack someone', but if the fear and surprise combines it's pretty likely any objective consideration of what to do will be impossible. This is where the good dog comes in. They have immediate and instinctive responses.

 

[gooner]

That's interesting, gooner. They can be quite aggressive with other dogs so I'd have thought they'd be the same about their owners/property.


Why is it OK to hit them once? What about if you don't hit hard enough and need to give another whack to equate to what a harder first blow would do?

Huskies are generally known to be poor guard dogs - just do not have that instinct to protect property and people.

With the baseball bat, if you hit too many times, the police may argue that you assaulted the intruder, whereas with one hit you have a much better argument. I think it also depends on state - looking at the QLD law that someone posted, you can do whatever you like with no legal recourse.

 

[Chris45]

A friend of mine used to have a 410 shotgun loaded with a blank under the bed.

When fired, it made an extremely loud BANG (as you'd expect) and she figured the noise would probably scare any intruder off, and being only a blank, she'd be safe if someone tried to use it against her.

Sounded like quite a reasonable approach to me. I don't know if she still has it, but if she does and was forced to use it, I guess the worst that would happen is she'd be fined for unlawful possession of an offensive weapon.

 

[sam76]

capsicum spray is what she needs.

 

[Chris45]

capsicum spray is what she needs.

That would be good if she could buy it somewhere. I understand that it's illegal in Australia (except possibly WA).

http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/2001-02/02rn19.htm

Restrictions applying to the importation of OC spray

The importation of anti-personnel sprays and chemicals for the use in the manufacture of anti-personnel sprays was federally restricted in March 2000 by an amendment to Schedule 3 of the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956. The provision was inserted by Customs (Prohibited Imports) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) [Statutory Rules 2000 No. 32]

The conditions attaching to the importation of anti-personnel sprays and chemicals are that such goods must not be imported unless:

* the written consent of the Minister, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police or the commissioner (however designated) of the police force of a State or Territory, is produced to a Collector [of Customs]; and
* the goods are imported for the use of the Australian Federal Police, a police force of a State or Territory or a correctional institution of a State or Territory.

Basically, apart from broom handles or high maintenance dogs, we're pretty much at the mercy of the thugs. Given our pathetic legal system, I think if I heard an intruder trying to break in to my house, I'd just try to sneak out a window and run like hell!

 

[Happy]

... A spaniel would be one of the most useless canines in existence from every point of view.

Yes, can be nice friend and most usefull as a door bell

 

[Happy]

capsicum spray is what she needs.

Affects everybody in confined spaces and resistance can built in if often exposed to spray.

Some similarity to spray can be with hot chilli consumption, more you eat it, bigger portions can be consumed with time with lesser burning sensation.