Be aware: key safe danger

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SAC1
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Post by SAC1 »

Well you live and learn!

Screenshot 2022-01-03 121224.png

My son's house has a key safe by their front door that was already there when they bought their house a few years ago. Over this Christmas period they were woken in the middle of the night by intruders inside their house. Fortunately after my son shouted at them, they ran out, leaving the key in the door! A truly frighning experience, especially for his children.

The two burgalers had gained access by hammering the key safe off the external wall, smashing it open and using the front door key housed inside.

Why? well they were primarily after the keys to his three cars it seems, as nothing else was taken. They did not get the car keys. The police came out and said that in their opion that the prime target was their Golf R rather than his Porsche or their other VW car.

Moral of the story? do not have a key safe in a visible position on your house or bettr remove it altogether. A lot of old people have these key safes to let carers and / or family gain access to their property - truly scary in light of this incident.

We had never heard of Key safes being a target for theives, but a bit of research and we found that it's quite common.
For example https://www.hampshire.police.uk/news/ha ... urglaries/
Steve

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MikeM
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Post by MikeM »

Key Safes are indeed a requirement for the many elderly and infirm that live alone. Fortunately not many with Golf R’s in the drive 😳. Had one attempted break-in ourselves some years back, the officer then stated “ they were after your wife’s new Golf GTI in the drive” and that two others were stolen within 12 mile radius that same night.
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Rarecolour
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Post by Rarecolour »

Sorry to hear about the break in, but if your son doesn't need that key safe for assistance, that would have been the first thing removed from the property when I moved in!
Lucky they ran when he shouted, most scum go around in groups and wouldn't have batted an eye lid.
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Bluesnose1812
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Post by Bluesnose1812 »

Not having a key safe is no protection. If they want the car they will go round the back of the house, remove a two foot coping stone from a wall, throw it through a back window, get the key and drive off. That how they took my BMW 435.
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Col Lamb
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Post by Col Lamb »

Keysafes = bad idea.

Most modernish houses or older houses where doors have been replaced will have Euro Pattern Locks fitted, it is a very simple matter to swap over the key operated lock for one which is push button operated.

We have a Video Door bell and another video camera with floodlights that faces the garage where our Macan is parked. In the three years that there has been in place there has been zero activations at night apart from the odd cat or fox.

I used to work in the building industry and security was part of my activities so take a tip from me and always have a full suite of house/garage lock cylinders available so you can quickly change the lock cylinders in case of need.

There is a school of thought that says keys car keys visible from the letter box as thieves can fish them out and take the car without gaining access to your property and putting your family at danger.

Also, there is a lot to be said for debadging a car or putting false variant badges on it ie Golf GTD instead of the R badge.
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Rarecolour
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Post by Rarecolour »

Bluesnose1812 wrote: Mon Jan 03, 2022 2:03 pm Not having a key safe is no protection. If they want the car they will go round the back of the house, remove a two foot coping stone from a wall, throw it through a back window, get the key and drive off. That how they took my BMW 435.

Not having a key safe is no protection? Come on, you can't seriously mean that?
2 houses, 1 with and 1 without, pretty sure I'd have a good idea which one the scum would go for if the same car was on the drive.
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Tracky
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Post by Tracky »

I’m glad your boy is ok

I don’t like the idea of those and yes I’m sure the R was the target as RS Audis are a firm favourite - big, fast with secure 4 wheel drive handling for the Oiks that steal these things.
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Bluesnose1812
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Post by Bluesnose1812 »

Rarecolour wrote: Mon Jan 03, 2022 2:53 pm
Bluesnose1812 wrote: Mon Jan 03, 2022 2:03 pm Not having a key safe is no protection. If they want the car they will go round the back of the house, remove a two foot coping stone from a wall, throw it through a back window, get the key and drive off. That how they took my BMW 435.

Not having a key safe is no protection? Come on, you can't seriously mean that?



If not having a key safe is protection, it certainly didn't work for me. :D
Last edited by Bluesnose1812 on Mon Jan 03, 2022 3:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BanZ
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Post by BanZ »

Sorry to hear about the ordeal. We moved this year and changed all our locks, we also had an old key safe lock from the previous owners. The locksmiths recommendation if you want a key for emergencies outside of the house was to hide a garage key somewhere outside(can be in a fake rock key store etc) and then have a key safe inside the garage which would have a key to the house so it would be a multi step process for you/anyone else.
MikeM
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Post by MikeM »

The recommendation from most crime prevention specialists, including the Police force is to make your home as secure and difficult to access as you possibly can and this will often see them move onto easier targets. Since the attempt on our property (10 years back) we installed a whole range of measures but yet to finish the Moat 😂
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