I am hoping for some sound advice.
We are waiting on completion of a new house in chonburi city, a new development with so called security.
It's only costing a million but GF was recently burgled in her flat and I have to recognise that her having a farang boyfriend probably sends out the wrong message to those who like to steal.
So for the new house we are considering security grilles on all the windows (many properties seem to have this)
But they look rather weak and I believe any self respecting intruder would still get in with ease.
So what about an alarm system? do they exist in LOS? And what about the concern that it would signal our "wealth" to all who pass by?
I feel responsible for GF's security, after all I have created this enhanced risk, and would like to do the right thing.
But what....? Anybody been thro this one before?

Hi pgcon,

I lived in Pattaya for 5 years prior to recently moving to Buriram and therefore fully aware of your concerns. As a member of the Pattaya City Expat's Club we have an excellent security advisor who attends the weeklt meetings and gives advice to the resident expat's on this matter.

I have attached below his website, together with a couple of pastings from prior discussions he gave, you may find them useful in your desicion making.

As he says, most burglaries are done on the offchance. Prevention of easy entry is the key to this sort of thing and I concentrated on this, good locks and window grilles (ones that are not bolted from the outside and therefore easily removeable.
Good eexterior and security lighting and always leaving the impression that someone is in the house. Simply leaving a light on in the evenings when you are out, timers on table lamps, shoes outside the door, not slippers!!!!!!! So many things one can do when seriously reviewing everyday habits.

The final thing is a good house dog, one that is trained to bark like mad, but only when someone is ON the property.

Good luck see info below for some helpful guidance:-

http://www.thaisecurity.com/

Master Safety Enterprises

"This is the oldest Security firm in Pattaya - and offers a full range of services - from alarm system and security hardware to 24/7 monitoring of your home security system.

Andre Machielsen, owner of Master Safety Enterprises, guarantees that you will be as fully protected as you wish to be - and the equipment used will be the most advanced and up-to-date available. His monitoring system operates all day, every day, to give you maximum security, and a real feeling of safety.

"This is an excerpt from a talk by security specialist Andre Machielsen at the Pattaya City Expats Club, outlining security problems and precautions that should be considered and taken.

Andre is the owner of Master Safety Enterprises Ltd. This security company was established in 1988, is the oldest security company on the Eastern Seaboard, and has offices in Pattaya and Bangkok.

Andre first emphasized that any security equipment you purchase - door latches, window closers, grills, etc. should be of the best quality to be effective. He commented on many interesting differences in home and condo construction in Thailand that directly affect home safety. For example, in Thailand, most sliding glass windows slide on the outside of the window panel, making the standard sliding window locks used to block opening the sliding window we are used to, not very effective, because it is possible to remove the sliding panel from the outside. Many of the entry doors in local condos are hollow – they should be solid wood, with door locks with an extra pin on the latch or bolt to prevent entry by sticking a credit card in the door latch from outside. A separate deadbolt is recommended. If you are moving to a new house or condo, have the locks changed or re-keyed, and consider a card entry door knob, or an electronic keypad door lock for extra security.

You can have automatic lights outside the house set to come on at dusk, and at least one that stays on all night. Have a viewer installed in your solid wood door so you can see, with the light on, anyone standing at or near your door. If there is no one there, do NOT open the door. And make sure the chain lock on the inside of your door is hooked up. You can install a small video camera around the door, connected to your TV or a smaller TV nearby, to monitor persons coming to or near your door.

Open windows, night or day, are an invitation for someone to enter the house. Windows should have good window locks or grills, and windows with grills should be able to be opened in an emergency. Most burglaries are done by opportunists – the burglar cruising or walking around a housing development or a condo building looking for people not home, windows or doors open, etc., so be sure to lock the doors and windows, set the alarm system, every time you leave the house. Use the security devices you already have.

Roofs – many roofs are tile, much of the tile is just laid on the roof, supported by the cross members. The tile should be firmly attached to the cross members to prevent access. Many times, when work is being done on a house just below the roof, the workmen will remove the tiles to get better light - bad news, a burglar could do the same thing from the outside and climb in. And make sure the trees near the house are trimmed away from the house. It is a good idea to leave a light on in the house when you are away or at night. There are timers that allow you to set the lights, or other appliances to go on and off several times, making it appear there is someone home. A fan, blowing gently on a curtain or drape, causing some motion, is also convincing evidence someone is home.

If you want to install a security system, make sure you get good quality – Taiwan or China made systems are not good sources. Wireless systems are not satisfactory, they can be jammed. Motion sensors alone are not good enough, but can be good as part of a system.

Smoke and fire alarm systems can be installed with the security system – and your security system can be connected by phone or wireless system to a commercial monitoring service. If there is smoke or an attempted entry, it will set off an alarm in the monitoring service and they can call the fire department or police, or you 24/7.

Hello everyone.I have an house in thailand and i would not put security grills on the windows because it felt i was a prisoner in my own home.I hope i do not get burgled but at the moment we have friends looking after the house and all electrical items have been removed to their house for safety.The furniture will take some shifting without anyone spotting them.Touch wood,i hope the house and contents are the same when i return..

There would only be one good reason for not putting up security bars in my opinion, and that would be if you didn't have any windows.

The handmade ones can look very attractive and not prison looking at all.

There would only be one good reason for not putting up security bars in my opinion, and that would be if you didn't have any windows.

I certainly concur with that one Thaddeus. 99% of all the break-ins that I have heard about from acquaintances have been either through windows or through the roof. Wea re not talking about jail-house bars, again as Thaddeus indicated, they can be very decorative.

RayBan

I,m gonna have a couple of big dogs, to detract the would be burgular from meeting the mother in law,

who will be living there when we aren't

regards

[QUOTE]Originally posted by RayBan:
There would only be one good reason for not putting up security bars in my opinion, and that would be if you didn't have any windows.

I certainly concur with that one Thaddeus. 99% of all the break-ins that I have heard about from acquaintances have been either through windows or through the roof. Wea re not talking about jail-house bars, again as Thaddeus indicated, they can be very decorative.

We got broken in just before Songhran, at our second house in Bandung. We had security bars on all the windows. They had got in by taking out the glass on the front door, by removing the rubber seal.

Even if you dohave bars,make sure you (or your other half,if you're absent) use them.
We have bars on the windows and a barred gate inside the doorway. This shuts by bolts and a padlock and chain. I insisted Noi used both to lock up and on the occasion she just used the padlock and chain she was burgled-the gate could be pushed in on the chain 5 inches,which was enough of a gap for someone to get between the door lintel and the top of the gate and into the property. Not quite big enough to get the tv through,but the karaoke stuff along with other stuff went.
Likewise,if you have a dog make sure you use it. One of ours got run over and the other one was given away two weeks before the burglary. Why? "Dog eat flower" was the reply
Som nam naa

He's cute. When he grows up, will he become a Rottweiler ?

Those are vicious things but they sure do a good job.

Mue's house is the only one in the area not to have been burgled in recent times. They put it down to a pair of Rottweilers. All the neighbours have poodles and labradors.

Whenever we go back to the family house, the dogs treat us like strangers and have to be locked up whenever we're outdoors (they aren't exactly the most intelligent creatures).

Packpao

Depends how they are raised. Some can as be soft as anything, like most problems attributed to dogs it is down to the owner usually.

There you go again packpao... making wide ranging generalisations again! First you start knocking Visa Agents now you are knocking Rottweilers!!

Thank you for the spelling lesson Ray but I ain't having no German sounding name in my house!

quote:

Some can as be soft as anything

99.9% of the time, yes. But when they snap, you'll want to be elsewhere.
Also, I wouldn't keep young children anywhere near certain breeds of canine - tame or otherwise. Rotweiller, boxers, etc.

Packpao

quote:

I wouldn't keep young children anywhere near certain breeds of canine - tame or otherwise. Rotweiller, boxers, etc.

Packpao

Depends on the kids The closer the better for one or two I can think of

By the way Chris, how does he get on with the other two pups?

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Buck:
I ain't having no German sounding name in my house!

You didn't consider a little shih tzu in the house .(pronounced shiht zu )

Just in case anyone got past the Rotty.

quote:

Originally posted by Lucky:
By the way Chris, how does he get on with the other two pups?

Hello Lucky!

He was as big as the other two pups (strays) and he was only 2 months old! They came to look at him and he gave them a friendly bark.. and they scooted!!!

We didn't want them around so my step son bundled them into a rice sack (so they couldn't see where they were going) and drove them a couple of miles and gave them to his mother in law. I heard she had a bowl of fish waiting for them and they settled in very quickly.

quote:

You didn't consider a little shih tzu

Is that one with no animals ??

The old ones are the best.

Thats a bit cruel

quote:

Originally posted by Chris Buck:
I heard she had a bowl of fish waiting for them and they settled in very quickly.

Giving the dogs a bowl of fish...

Many thanks for all your suggestions, both helpful and amusing. Phase 1 will be security bars installed at same time as msqito mesh, then when I get there I will vet all lock and door fastenings, as well as check if roof tiles are easily removed. In the short term will avoid hiring in a Rotty or a mother-in-law. See how it goes.

When getting security iron work fitted make sure they weld drilled plates to sides of grill then rawlbolt grill to window opening, then spot weld heads of rawlbolt to plate's.

The chap who broke into our house just unscrewed the phillips screws and used the grill as a ladder to get in, luckily nothing taken, disturbed by the wife, he must have recognised her as the area kick box champion and did a runner, we have welded plates with welded rawlbolts now.

I cant see how you can stop them getting through the roof unless you wire or self tapp screw the tiles to the metal tile batten, different trades have come in and just slide a tile up to get light in the roof space, we have a trap hatch but no loft ladder as you cannot get them in LOS so builder told me, the diffrent trades didn't have to get through the roof to run wires for air/con TV etc.

Reminds me of what my old Uncle used to say

"Locks are for honest people"

If they want to get in they will - just didn't make it too easy

- Skippy