Monday, January 6, 2014
Breaking news from the police!
I have just received a call from the police detective associated with my case, and it appears that three men in my neighbourhood were arrested for a series of burglaries in the area, and problems have since evaporated. There is not a link to my own stolen items at this time, but to me (albeit completely without evidence) it seems plausible there is a relationship. Three cheers to the South Wales Police for their persistence and hard work!
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Home intruders
With the change in weather last October, my flat inevitably picked up a few harmless but horrible guests... I'm used to the mice, in some ways. They appear, they give me me a bit of a shock, I wear wellies around the house for a few days, and the landlord sends over an exterminator with poison traps. The stress of worrying about whether one will run across my feet while I do dishes can only be maintained for so long; a few weeks pass and I am back to my usual self (although perhaps with a bit more diligence to crumbs and clothes on the floor).
But this autumn also brought a different type of home invader. I came home late Monday night, after a weekend in Oxford and an orchestra rehearsal, to find my flat had been burgled. It took a while to sink in, as I assumed the exterminator had just knocked over a few boxes while tending to the mouse problem. The open doors to the garden and the broken window in the bedroom eventually helped me put it together. Having no idea what I should do, I called Dave, who calmly got me to call the police. I also have two wonderful friends down the road, who came to my rescue at a run (although they then panted and complained about their knees for a while). We dealt with police until around midnight, and then I packed up some things and went to my friends' place to sleep. Shockingly, when I met with the crime scene investigator (dusting for fingerprints and swabbing for fluids and whatnot) at 9am the next morning, we found that burglars had actually come back and taken a few more things.
In most ways, I was lucky. I had my most important valuables (laptop, tablet, oboe) with me. The old laptop that was taken was very old and could barely turn on. I had contents insurance to cover the pricey digital camera. I had my photos already backed up online. I had proof, via Amazon records, gmail, and facebook photos, of my ownership of the stolen items, and the insurance claim came back quickly and with everything I asked for.
Still, it was my first experience with burglary. I didn't sleep in my flat the rest of the week. I bought timers for all my lights. My letting agency is frustratingly slow to actually replace the rotted broken windows: the one in my bedroom is still boarded up. I put a new curtain up, to prevent outside people from seeing if the room is unoccupied and to prevent me from seeing the window.
This was all in October, and, like with the mice, I can't maintain heightened alarm and paranoia this long. I still have a moment of concern when I open my front door, as twice I opened it to discover I had been burgled. I am much more militant about the extra locks on the doors and where I keep backups of my computer files. But, really, life inevitably goes back to normal.
(PS One excellent idea someone had was to train my house mice to defend it against burglars. Little uniforms, scurrying in formation... maybe next autumn.)
But this autumn also brought a different type of home invader. I came home late Monday night, after a weekend in Oxford and an orchestra rehearsal, to find my flat had been burgled. It took a while to sink in, as I assumed the exterminator had just knocked over a few boxes while tending to the mouse problem. The open doors to the garden and the broken window in the bedroom eventually helped me put it together. Having no idea what I should do, I called Dave, who calmly got me to call the police. I also have two wonderful friends down the road, who came to my rescue at a run (although they then panted and complained about their knees for a while). We dealt with police until around midnight, and then I packed up some things and went to my friends' place to sleep. Shockingly, when I met with the crime scene investigator (dusting for fingerprints and swabbing for fluids and whatnot) at 9am the next morning, we found that burglars had actually come back and taken a few more things.
 |
| There was a lot of fingerprinting dust to be scrubbed off, but alas, the burglar wore gloves. |
In most ways, I was lucky. I had my most important valuables (laptop, tablet, oboe) with me. The old laptop that was taken was very old and could barely turn on. I had contents insurance to cover the pricey digital camera. I had my photos already backed up online. I had proof, via Amazon records, gmail, and facebook photos, of my ownership of the stolen items, and the insurance claim came back quickly and with everything I asked for.
Still, it was my first experience with burglary. I didn't sleep in my flat the rest of the week. I bought timers for all my lights. My letting agency is frustratingly slow to actually replace the rotted broken windows: the one in my bedroom is still boarded up. I put a new curtain up, to prevent outside people from seeing if the room is unoccupied and to prevent me from seeing the window.
This was all in October, and, like with the mice, I can't maintain heightened alarm and paranoia this long. I still have a moment of concern when I open my front door, as twice I opened it to discover I had been burgled. I am much more militant about the extra locks on the doors and where I keep backups of my computer files. But, really, life inevitably goes back to normal.
(PS One excellent idea someone had was to train my house mice to defend it against burglars. Little uniforms, scurrying in formation... maybe next autumn.)
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