Home Protection & Self Defence.

[El_Goretto]

Thank you. Will have a look now.

You can also read the rest of the cage for good laugh!

 

[Imagem]

Nothing really much help. Different scenarios but thank you anyway. We are going to sleep in the new house tonight. I feel the need to claim back my space. Also, the same people are unlikely to return now they know they got the TV and fans. There is a clunky old TV in my son's room. I doubt they would want that. The dogs are with us too, though small can be noisy and two new reinforced locks on each window. I still feel a bit anxious but I need to get over it.

 

[IndoTom]

Deterance and alarms to notify you before a criminal gets into the house is my recommendation. Once a criminal gets into your house a physical confrontation could occur ending badly for someone. Simple things such as outside motion activated lights, night infrared cameras to identify the potential thief, battery powered motion detectors / alarms inside and outside the house, etc.

I have always wondered how effective walls and barred windows are in keeping out theives in a landed house when someone could simply remove a few roof tiles and enter from the ceiling.

 

[Bad_azz]

Deterance and alarms to notify you before a criminal gets into the house is my recommendation. Once a criminal gets into your house a physical confrontation could occur ending badly for someone. Simple things such as outside motion activated lights, night infrared cameras to identify the potential thief, battery powered motion detectors / alarms inside and outside the house, etc.

I have always wondered how effective walls and barred windows are in keeping out theives in a landed house when someone could simply remove a few roof tiles and enter from the ceiling.

Some of us don't have tiled roofs
We have the big dogs, the glass in the top if the walls & I am not talking 2inch spikes, razor/barbed wire & real strong steel barred windows. But ultimately if someone wants to come steal from us, they would probably need to bring valuables with them.

 

[jstar]

Anyway, the laws here as só strict on illegally entering someone else's premises and applying damage to property, I don't think that thiefs would take you to court, as in many western countries, if you beat them to a pulp. Violence, even not in self defense or excessive force (towards intruders) is not really frowned upon.

But ya, better avoid the situation all together. Remember the homejacking in Pulomas not that long ago? That ended really bad.

 

[Balifrog]

Some of us don't have tiled roofs
We have the big dogs, the glass in the top if the walls & I am not talking 2inch spikes, razor/barbed wire & real strong steel barred windows. But ultimately if someone wants to come steal from us, they would probably need to bring valuables with them.

The day I have to protect my house like that, I move on. I mean, I dont come live at the other end of the world to be in worst conditions then in a Paris suburb !
Steel bars on doors and windows like in many flats in HKG, SGP or Seoul, houses with barbed wire on the walls...no way, I would feel like living in a a jail.
And I sure dont want that for retirement.
I rent a confortable 2 storey bungalow inside a resort in Sanur vs an independant house, and security is one of the reasons. Specially as we spend about 1/3 of our time away in Java. Advantage of our choice is security, free maintenance for the garden, the swimming pool etc...
The place has a rather low occupancy rate, so no continual go and coming of tourists except for the high season. Another advantage is the presence of other westerners and being able to have a few words in the morning, a bit like in a village at home.

 

[jstar]

The metal bars in a Jakarta house are mounted on the inside of the windows, so from the outside it doesn't look like a prison. But even when the house is in a kompleks with security, houses do get robbed from time to time.

In places like Puerto Rico there are compounds with double security; an inner circle if you will; you get checked twice.

But weirdly enough the satpam here seems to be more worried about cars than motorbikes or even pedestrians. I'm not convinced that the burglars come by car. [/SARCASM] @Balifrog : You say there is not a big in/out flow, but from first hand experience I can say that will change the moment they start to rent out houses short term or to locals. And with more and more house staff coming from Java; they need to leave and re-enter the kompleks to go to the mosque, suddenly at 6 PM it looks like car free day in Jakarta.

And an electrician we used recently removed and stole the lock & handle of an insect screen door upstairs. And workers staying at a house for renovation, have been 'looking around' as well. So it's not always complete strangers.

 

[Bad_azz]

I like the bars, cos we can have the windows open all the time if we want. And being in a complex with security is not always secure- ask others in the forum about that, I have heard several stories of theft /break ins.
Personally I prefer to rely on our own efforts at security than on the vigilance of others.

So far it has worked.

For me living in a complex in Bali (open prison?) would be just as distateful as living where I do is to you.

I also manage to have a few words with our neighbours... I just happen to speak their language.

For me there would be no point in moving all the way around the world to coccoon myself in a fake/imitation of my old culture... I didn't like it before I left , can't see me wishing to emulate it here.
I live here because I really like the Indonesian people.

 

[Balifrog]

I like the bars, cos we can have the windows open all the time if we want. And being in a complex with security is not always secure- ask others in the forum about that, I have heard several stories of theft /break ins.
Personally I prefer to rely on our own efforts at security than on the vigilance of others.

So far it has worked.

For me living in a complex in Bali (open prison?) would be just as distateful as living where I do is to you.

I also manage to have a few words with our neighbours... I just happen to speak their language.

For me there would be no point in moving all the way around the world to coccoon myself in a fake/imitation of my old culture... I didn't like it before I left , can't see me wishing to emulate it here.
I live here because I really like the Indonesian people.

To each his own. For me this is around the 10th country in which I lived over a year. Dont expect me to speak 10 languages. 3 is already enough.
Bali is not paradise, but still a decent sunny place to live.
Of course Seychelles, Tahiti etc would be better but my pension doesn't allow it.

Concerning big cities, I worked in a few, so no more for me. Cairo, Seoul, HCMC, Bangkok, SGP, HKG, Dubai,...plus a few in Europe.

 

[jstar]

Security caught a guy last night. He was in the walled area of an empty house. Police was called in and beat him up a bit, after which he confessed a previous burglary.

 

[Imagem]

Sorry, we went and stayed at the new house for the weekend, without wifi, so no access to the group there. I don't have you on my phone, only my laptop. I have ordered some simple stop contact alarms for the windows from Tokopedia and two fake CCTVs. That is all I can afford for now. Not sure about using the CCTVs as it may suggest there is something in there worth stealing and at the moment there is not. I have thought about what neighbours are doing for security and what I can do later to make my house, less attractive to try and get into, than theirs. Though they have built up front walls and metal gates/railings ontop of brick. It does not go to the top of the roofed section of garage/front area, so thieves could still easilly get over and then are out of sight while they break into the house. I am thinking metal work has to go to the top, so they cant get over. Then the back of the house. If we have a back wall around the garden, my son's bedroom window becomes the vulnerable spot. I have talked to him about when we build a kitchen on to the back of the house, to actually extend it the length of the house, so his window, looks into the kitchen, big enough to be diner too at that point. Then rather than use windows in the kitchen use the glass bricks along the back wall for light instead. The back door in the garden can be made easier to secure than windows. And the metal door that is currently our back door but will be the door into the kitchen can stay there as added security.
However that all costs money, which at the moment we don't have and I don't want to be living in the marital home any longer than needed so that will all come later and meanwhile I will just do the best I can when we stay there to keep us safe.

 

[beebop]

I had major issues with theft for years until i got dogs. With the dogs, theft has reduced by 95% or so... But, i have to replace a dog every few months because its now the dogs that are getting stolen. But dogs do a brilliant job. If i get woken up by their barking, i go out with a 5000 lumen search light that turns night into day up to a distance of 1km.. that seems to scare the hell out of the thieves here atleast

 

[Imagem]

OMG your dogs get stolen! Hopefully that will not be an issue here, as my dogs are also my family. They are only small but I am hoping that they will be some deterrent

But, i have to replace a dog every few months because its now the dogs that are getting stolen

.

 

[jstar]

Esp. the black ones can be rather popular for Batak restaurants...

 

[Imagem]

We used to have a black dog, with black eyes, black claws and black spots on his tongue. Our vet offered us a motorbike in exchange for him.

 

[Wisnu]

I suggest to add another layer of protection, note expensive but could very effective.
Build good relationship with your neighbor even if they are km away, be nice with them, low profile, not arrogant, where possible participate on community (RT/RW) activities. Don't forget to report to pak RT or Kades.
The objective is to let people know and spread the words that you are good "bule" / foreigner, not an arrogant and rich who keep big diamond or huge $$$ under your pillow. Bring along small stuff gift or cookies as "oleh-oleh" no need to be expensive.

So, even with modest home security protection will not worth enough to break it.

Steel bars, high wall will electric barb wire and sophisticated electronic security not strong enough for burglary if they believe you have something worth all the effort and risk.

In Indonesia we live in nice compound with 24 hours per day satpam / security staff on the gates as well as patrolling the area. But, burglary still happening.
Our homes are empty most of the time. We live 2 - 3 weeks a year though we have live-out maid visit 3x per week.
We keep maintain good relationship with our neighbors, head of community and certainly all satpam. Everytime we back home, we always bring some snack, candy or chocolate for the satpam and next door neighbor.
This prove to be very effective so far.
The same approach we apply here in our host country.

 

[Balifrog]

Dogs are a good deterrant at the Java jungle house, because of "cultural" reasons I guess.
Place is off the beaten track, and no way to approach without the dogs noticing.
Between ours and brother house next to us we have 4 dogs, no fences around the houses and they roam free. They stay out all night and are definitively not the sofa poodle type !

 

[jstar]

The head of security (cliché: obviously Moluccan) came by to collect the monthly contribution.

The dogs kept rather calm, he was familiar. While I signed and paid through the fence, an old lady approached us. When he was leaving, she asked for money. Immediately the dogs went crazy (I saw the security guy had a good time). They sense weakness too.

My point being, I'm not sure how roaming dogs would react to people that are familiar to them, like the guys bringing the aqua and gas bottles, neighbors of even those throwing in the free magazines. I see in Bali the street dogs, unlike those in their fenced territory, are rather relaxed. And that could be funest to such a security setup.

 

[Imagem]

The house is in a BTN which is still under development. Not somewhere we could have roaming dogs. We do have two small dogs which will be kept inside. Our big local dog we will leave with my husband as he is his dog and our house would just be too small for him.

 

[Jaime C]

Being friendly to your neighbors and security staff is always a good idea. Not just during Ramadan, but the whole year. We have done so for many years. Not as a bribe per se, but just being part of the community.

I suggest to add another layer of protection, note expensive but could very effective.
Build good relationship with your neighbor even if they are km away, be nice with them, low profile, not arrogant, where possible participate on community (RT/RW) activities. Don't forget to report to pak RT or Kades.
The objective is to let people know and spread the words that you are good "bule" / foreigner, not an arrogant and rich who keep big diamond or huge $$$ under your pillow. Bring along small stuff gift or cookies as "oleh-oleh" no need to be expensive.

So, even with modest home security protection will not worth enough to break it.

Steel bars, high wall will electric barb wire and sophisticated electronic security not strong enough for burglary if they believe you have something worth all the effort and risk.

In Indonesia we live in nice compound with 24 hours per day satpam / security staff on the gates as well as patrolling the area. But, burglary still happening.
Our homes are empty most of the time. We live 2 - 3 weeks a year though we have live-out maid visit 3x per week.
We keep maintain good relationship with our neighbors, head of community and certainly all satpam. Everytime we back home, we always bring some snack, candy or chocolate for the satpam and next door neighbor.
This prove to be very effective so far.
The same approach we apply here in our host country.