Need some advice, ASAP.

[Chairman Miaow]

Probably a knife (I'm Australian)?

What were you planning on doing with that knife? Go Dundee on them, or slit their throats?

Get a gun bro. A big gun! I guess a bat works too.. Or a wrench..

Completely misread that as wench.

ATTACK THEM WITH YOUR WENCHES!

 

[Megabobster]

I don't think they'd be stupid enough to come back, but a cap gun is good for warning shots.

WHAT?!

Dude, this is terrible advice, do not wave anything around that looks like a gun, unless its a gun you're willing to use. A cap gun? Seriously?

Otherwise decent advice in this thread.

Loud noises startle nervous people nosing around in stuff that doesn't belong to them. It's a good idea.

Did you know that people with guilty consciences are more easily startled by loud noises?

*Train horn*

 

[Subbies]

The best thing is to leave all light on as well as the TV or a radio, just to have some noise so in the unlikely case they do come by again they would think you're awake. Do NOT us the knife (if you really must, then take it with you but only as a last resort if they attack), the best is to take a long stick, branch or bat, it's not lethal and it's got a better rage. I doubt that you would could have legal problem if it's self defense, but better be on the safe side. In any case the best you should do is ask the police about that and what other methods you could use to deter the burglars. Well good look in any case.

 

[EternalFacepalm]

Baseball bat, not a knife. I think that should work.

If anyone breaks into my house, they're gonna get a few .223 rounds in the face...

That wouldn't help you in any way at all.

 

[rmb1983]

Completely misread that as wench.

ATTACK THEM WITH YOUR WENCHES!

Hilarious.

In the UK if you take a weapon with you or arrange for one to be at hand then you are in deep shit.

My Dad had a petrol station that was in the exact same position, couldn't get the door replaced until the day after. Wanted to know if he could arm himself and wait with a couple of mates. Here's what you do:

1. Arrange for the door to be fixed.
2. Remove anything worth stealing that you can or secure it in such a way that taking it would take a bit of time.
3. Turn the lights and TV on.
4. Go and stay in a hotel until the property is secure.

You go and stay over there to help protect against the robbers if they return and you will have a hard time proving self defence, especially if you go equipped. Also you do not know who will turn up, a few guys on meth with kitchen knives will kill you, not fight you, kill you. There will be no Hollywood style stand off where you get to warn them off, it will be you and some noises in the dark. Aside from your Dad is there anything in the house worth risking that for?

Probably the best advice here, on the matter. Yes, IF they do come back, there's likely to be a handful of things missing, but those are trivial compared to your own safety. Insurance will cover stolen items, and hell, they may even cover the hotel room (depending on your insurance; this is optimistic speculation).

 

[sam42ification]

Hey guys...

My dad's house was broken into earlier today (just heard about it a second ago), and I'm going down to spend the night with him in the event that the burglars return (they didn't manage to take anything the first time, because the alarm went off, but they broke the door down, and he's in a bad neighbourhood).

So anyway, only a little while until I leave... would it be advisable to take a weapon with me? Probably a knife (I'm Australian)? If I end up using said weapon in self-defence, will it come back to bite me in the ass legally?

.

I know this is irregular, but I also know that you guys can give some pretty solid legal advice.

Our rules on self defence are a lot tighter than in a ot of the other countries so definatley not a knife. Take a bat or somthing and try to strike low if possible.

 

[Dingo John]

Bring a baseball bat, and or knife/nunchucks !!

Also stay up, with the lights on... First of all, they are very likely to never return, since they know you have an alarm and you will be alert today because the (I imagine) rather uncomfortable happenings last night.

There is really no reason that they should return, unless your father is very rich. There are thousands of houses to break into, why go back to the one where you were almost caught just the day before ?

 

[FuktLogik]

I don't know if you're aiming this question at other Australians, but I don't see why anyone else would be familiar with the self defense laws in your country. I'd take a weapon, but I'd take a gun, and if your firearm regulations are anything like Canada, make sure it's not a restricted or prohibited weapon. You're not going to bring down an armed man with a knife, unless you take him from behind, which is generally frowned upon in any country I've been to.

You know, at the end of the day I suggest you call the cops and ask them to make a few passes through the neighborhood tonight if at all possible. I don't know about your laws, and depending on circumstances, even defending your home could land you jail time.

 

[cahtush]

Do NOT at try to fight them at all. if they come again, barricade yourself and call the police. If they have wepons and you try to fight them, as they say: "The most dangerous beast is the one that is cronerd" or something like that.

 

[captaincabbage]

I'd take a baseball bat if I were you. If you have a small one, use that 'coz it's easier to weild and hits harder.
Failing that, lead pipe should do the trick.

 

[McTom]

One that I've always been told by people in the police and security business is a big ass torch, preferably one of those metal ones that are really bright. This is for lots of reasons but mainly for 'intent' because that makes a big difference in the UK, I.E if you use a knife or something that you clearly have premeditated on and decided to use then you are likely to be facing GBH or higher charges. With a big ol' torch you can argue that it was the first thing you grabbed and sparked them with. Also, it helps in the dark and can be used to dazzle an intruder.

 

[Brandon237]

Ooh, shame dude, sorry

Legally, they broke in. If they go missing, no-one is gonna care anyhow, these are thieves and it is unlikely an investigation will be launched. That is terrible legal advice born of living in a high crime country. Sorry.

But as for practical advice, keep a weapon near, if only to make yourself feel safer ( I highly doubt you will need it, but you are sure as hell gonna want it), but it would be stupid for them to try the same place twice. And make it look like you are up and active the whole night.
Do the police in your area offer to stand by your road for the night in cases like this?

 

[smartengine]

If you have to take something, take a baseball bat rather than a knife. You'd be supprised how effective it is...

And I don't think you can be charged for beating someone who broke into your house in the midde of the night. Just be sure to call the police

 

[thetruefallen]

Go to the RSPCA. give them $70. Get a big dog with a bad temper. problem solved.

 

[Jake Martinez]

So much terrible advice in this thread.

This guy doesn't need a weapon, he needs a bloody new door.

Also, just leave the damn lights on. No one is going to try and break into a house with all the lights on just to steal something (especially after they already broke in once and evidently didn't see anything they wanted to steal before they ran away).

Just use common sense really.

 

[goldendriger]

If you can i highly advise a crowbar. Because if you bring a bat, you've brought that bat with a purpose, if its a crowbar you can say they brought it with them and you took it off them, or they dropped it in the struggle

You are a genius. I will have to remember that advice - you can beat the criminals and say its there weapon as well. (Im not being sarcastic, i really liked your comment.)

Honestly i only know this because my uncle's house was getting robbed he came downstairs with a bat and ko'd them, the cops got there and he got in trouble because he brought the bat down specifically to cause harm to them. So i guess you can take "Their" bat and use it against them, cause thats self defence ;D

 

[Craorach]

Stay up, play music, do NOT have a weapon of any sort.

Unless of course you are very well trained in its use, chances are it will be taken from you and used against you.. in the end either you or the burglar will end up injured far worse than you intended.

 

[Spoonius]

Thanks for all the replies people, just got back from my dad's a few minutes ago, but am intending to return for the rest of the week and help him set up some more advanced security.

.

Too much to quote and answer, so in summary:

- I don't own a deadly yet lovable local animal as a pet. I can't catapult box jellyfish at them, I can't throw baskets full of snakes at them, I can't send a Kangaroo with boxing gloves at them, and I don't have any terrifying spiders with which to harvest their dying screams.

- They initially broke in during the day, while my dad was at work. Not during the night.

- My dad isn't rich at all... the opposite, in fact. However, his house looks rich (when we bought it cheap from the bank though, the house was vandalised to shit... no electricity, no hot water, trashed rooms, broken roof/floors/doors, graffiti and dead insects everywhere, etc), and is located in a very poor (and criminal-populated) neighbourhood. It stands out.

- We have good reason to believe that the intruders aren't just petty burglars, and that they'll return. The police also indicated that they were probably fairly-strong adult males, and that they were wearing gloves when they broke in.

- Australian burglars aren't as civil as the burglars a few of you might be familiar with... round here, plenty of robbers won't think twice about bashing even an elderly couple inside their own home. Fellow Australians know who/what I'm talking about.

- I'm not American, and thus don't own a baseball bat or gun... but I found a nice, thick, metre-long, hefty steel bar instead, as well as a cricket bat... for close encounters of the burglar kind. I've left them with my dad for now. They shouldn't look too out-of-place sitting in a garage/house.

- A lot of people telling me that it's inadvisable to fight an intruder... well I wouldn't normally suggest it, but I'm fairly-well trained in Krav Maga, and my dad was in the special forces (and is still in good physical shape). Trust me, I'd only fight them off as a last resort anyway, but I think we could subdue or detain them if we needed to.

.

Just wanted to note... to my knowledge, in Australia you can only use equal and not superior force to fend off an intruder right? I know the laws here are ridiculous, and that they almost favour the attacker (who's prepared), but I'm not quite sure where the boundaries lie. As far as I know, even using pepper spray against an unarmed burglar could land you in trouble, unless you're at a physical disadvantage.

I'd be happy if someone could clarify.

 

[StBishop]

Pretty sure pepper spray is illegal here bud. (Perth resident too).

Which suburb is your dad in if you don't mind my asking?

I would recommend avoiding knives at all costs tbh, the legal system is big on deterring knives in self defence case here and likes to set precedents of charging excessive force when knives are involved (I have this on pretty good authority from currently serving detective).

You're correct on equal force.

Unconsciousness is considered equal force if you have reason to believe that they won't stop until you're unconscious, or worse.
You'd have an incredible legal battle on your hands proving they wanted you dead unless they had a gun or knife.

I don't know a hell of a lot about Kav Magra but sleeper holds are an incredibly safe bet legally if you can get one. Hitting someone with a heavy blunt object in the torso is also pretty safe, just make sure you call out to them that you're armed (or at least tell the cops that you did) when you hear them enter.

If it's Bikeys, run. Not worth angering them, and at the moment they're not too worried about the cops over here.

EDIT: Yep pepper spray is illegal in WA and illegal to import duh.

ReEDIT: Apparently you can have a spraying device that emits oleoresin capsicum, but you need a licence, it's a "controlled weapon" not banned. So no, pepper spray isn't illegal as long as it's a certain type.

 

[Joccaren]

Hey guys...

My dad's house was broken into earlier today (just heard about it a second ago), and I'm going down to spend the night with him in the event that the burglars return (they didn't manage to take anything the first time, because the alarm went off, but they broke the door down, and he's in a bad neighbourhood).

So anyway, only a little while until I leave... would it be advisable to take a weapon with me? Probably a knife (I'm Australian)? If I end up using said weapon in self-defence, will it come back to bite me in the ass legally?

.

I know this is irregular, but I also know that you guys can give some pretty solid legal advice.

Here in Aus, if you defend yourself with a weapon of equal or lesser strength than that of the attacker, you are pretty much fine no matter what happens (however I wouldn't advise the knife, that can get sticky). If he is unarmed and you use a knife, you will be charged. If he has a knife and you have a knife, your probably fine. Tough part is making the call in the instant you see the intruder as to whether the knife is stronger than what they are using (say they use a cricket bat or a shovel [the cricket bat I would count as weaker, the shovel I would count as stronger, arguably]) then deciding whether you should drop the knife for something else, or keep the knife.

I'd say bring it for comfort if you must, but I'd prefer to use something that will knock the intruder out, and not kill him. That way, you should be safe from the law almost completely.