I’ve just moved out of the big city (reminder to self - change profile whatsit) to a smaller regional centre. Started my new job yesterday, things are chuffing along nicely, and everyone seems happy to have me here. Including my friendly neighbourhood burglars.
I got up at about 10pm when I heard some noises. I thought it was a possum or, heaven forbid, a rat, so I turned on lights and banged things a bit, I probably even called out some terrible horror-movie style cliche like “Is anyone there?” I didn’t see or hear anything else, so I went back to bed. In retrospect, I’m flabbergasted that I did so - but I was hell tired, remember, and had had a big first day at my new job.
This morning I saw the flyscreen on the bathroom window had been cut and some of the louvres pulled out. Also, a packet of rolling tobacco and a lighter that my dad had left behind on the table on the front verandah was gone, and the gates open.
I called the police and did all the right things. I sort of want a really big mean dog, but I don’t think my landlord, or my bunny, would like that very much.
I hate robbers. And living on your own, specially when you’re a woman, can be scary.
Something similar happened to a friend of mine years ago. Lived in Chicago all his life, then finally bought a house in Evanston, a nearby suburb. He was told by his auto insurance company that his rates would be going down, since he was now in a “lower crime” zip code. Two nights after he moved in he was awakened in the middle of the night by two cops at his door. His car had been broken into; apparently one of his neighbors had called the police, but it had taken them a while to figure out that the car’s owner was now living in the house it was parked in front of. When he explained that he had just moved there, one of the cops grinned sheepishly and said, “Uh, welcome to Evanston, Sir.”
I grew up in a fairly high crime area. My parents had us living in a fortress - key in/key out locks, alarm systems, loaded weapons, etc. We never had any attempted break-ins. When I was 20, I moved to a little town (population < 500) and that was the only place I ever had a break-in. I got a dog immediately after that. 20+ years later, have always had a dog or two - best protection you can get (even if the greatest fear a burgler would have with them would be if they tripped over the dogs in the dark).