Backyard door glass cutting, a theif's way of getting in?

[jackieskwong]

My friend in South Africa was recently talking to me how many times he got robbed in his own house. He says most house in the suburbs has electric fencing, gates, laser detectors in the backyard and bullet proof glass.

Than it occured to me how easy it is for people in Canadian homes to get robbed.

Couldn't the thieves just buy a heavy duty glass cutter from a hardware store and cut a glass big enough for them to get in? This wouldn't cause any noise.

Cause i know most windows use Float glass which is one of the easiest glass to cut, is the backyard door made of float glass as well? :S

[jackieskwong]

whoa even crazier..a small piece of porcelain can acctually shatter glass!!!

my other friend told me glass cutters take too much work, some thieves just use a porcelain chip and throw it at the glass and it shatters...do they mean porcelain from like tea cups and dolls? lol

[stealth]

you can do it with the porcelain part of a spark plug. If you attach it to a string, and whip it at a glass window it will break it.
Not a very effective way to gain entry to a house though as its noisy and messy.

[jackieskwong]

so is there any way to prevent this from happening?

[spm24]

a plexiglass door will do it . that or a shatter sensor above all doors/windows your worried about hooked into your alarm system.


comparing South Africa to Canada though is a huge difference , it would be rare to see laser sensors/electric fence/bulletproof doors while in SA its a common thing.

[Bullseye]

People are much more lax in most parts of Canada because the home break-in rate is vastly lower than in SA.

People will usually just put it in an alarm system with break sensors and be done with it, most don't bother with actually PREVENTING break-in's. Basement windows (no one hears breaking), sliding patio doors (lift right out of their tracks easily), and sidelites on entry doors (easy to break and then open door lock), are the usual easy ways for thiefs to gain entry, but most houses have nothing to protect against such intrusions. A glass cutter would be overkill compared to these methods.

[deep]

Just like trying to prevent your bike from being stolen, you CANNOT stop a determined thief from getting into your house unless you are willing to take extreme measures, and spend ridiculous amounts of money to do so. The risk is just not high enough to justify those kinds of costs in most circumstances in most parts of Canada for most people.

A friend of mine sells shatterproof membranes for windows (and assorted other home protection paraphenalia) and makes good money at it, so there is obviously a market for it....I just cannot imagine needing it for my possessions or peace of mind.

[Dustbunny]

Just like trying to prevent your bike from being stolen, you CANNOT stop a determined thief from getting into your house unless you are willing to take extreme measures, and spend ridiculous amounts of money to do so. The risk is just not high enough to justify those kinds of costs in most circumstances in most parts of Canada for most people.

A friend of mine sells shatterproof membranes for windows (and assorted other home protection paraphenalia) and makes good money at it, so there is obviously a market for it....I just cannot imagine needing it for my possessions or peace of mind.

Completely agree with Deep. If they want in they will get in and with very little effort as homeowners often give them the opportunity by leaving garages open etc. It also doesn't take all that much for them to get a door open. People also just get careless. Buy a new TV and put the box out for pick up...just asking for it, plus the break ins to get the replacements insurance provides.

Speaking with police here, the best thing you can do is make sure your property is visible to the neighbours. One of the best covers thieves can get apparently is a privacy fence as it allows them to do their thing without much chance of anyone seeing and low and behold, the easiest place to get in is sliding doors and they are usually in the back with the fence. Here we have alleys in most areas and the police can cruise down and check yards if the fences allow. Put up a big solid fence, and chances of anyone seeing an intruder are cut to nothing.

Meanwhile I'm still convinced the best deterrent is a dog.

[vdub07]

Meanwhile I'm still convinced the best deterrent is a dog.

That was our conclusion as well... ended up going that route after our last break-in.

[dukmo]

I have the same concerns, and have done some research, but have not yet done anything
I did find this company:

http://www.acesecuritylaminates.com/about_ace.htm

and it sounds quite good.

That's my 2 cents worth.