protecting private property

G

gg1965

hi all,

my elderly parents live in a house that backs onto a reserve. they have the highest allowed fence they can have but that doesn't stop kids etc from climbing the fence and coming into the backyard to try and break into the house.

There was another attempt yesterday but my mother heard them in the backyard so she opened the windows and they ran off and jumped over the neighbours side fence. There was another time when my mum woke up to hear someone on the verandah trying to open the window. Again they ran off.

They have an alarm, they have a jack russell dog who barks and keeps his eye on the yard but is not a frightening dog. now my father is 80 next month and my mum is 78 so they are getting on.

they have phoned the cops but the cops cannot do anything unless there is evidence of a breakin (seeing someone in your backyard who came over the back fence is not good enough). thye spoke to the council and they cannot do anything.

so my thought is stringing some barbed wire on the top of the back fence. the only people who would cut themselves on it will be the ones who are climbing over but I've been advised that i'm not allowed to do this as my parents will be liable for any injuries caused by it. But again, the only people who would cut themselves on it will be ones who are illegally coming into the yard. I've also thought about putting some type of cable on the top of the fence which is connected to the alarm but then i may have problems with birds, wind etc.

the law has a dim view of people protecting their own property and i've heard many stories where someone is sued or some dog is put down just for protecting private property. so what can be done?

So how can we stop these sods from climbing over the fence from the council reserve and coming into the private backyard of my parents house?


thanks

g
 
I also back onto a reserve, but fortunately in a very low-crime area, so haven't had any issues.

But my first thought is this: is the fence see-through, like a chain wire fence, or solid, like timber or brick? If it's solid, it could be that the fence actually detracts from the security, because once somebody's inside the fence, they're hidden from view and can take their time trying to get in, etc. The police gave me the advice - years ago, at a different property - that having areas near to your home that are completely "hidden from view" like that is a burglar attractant; they feel safe and secure hidden behind a fence and will target such properties.

Aside from that, how do they feel about getting a "more scary" dog, to put behind a see-through fence? Or, if they have and want to retain a solid fence, one advantage of this strategy is that you can just put up a sign about having a Rottweiler or something, and perhaps have a "barking tape" that's motion-activated.

I'd also invite GreatPig's comments on this thread; he does security for a living. :)
 
The fence is a full height and solid colourbond fence. The thought of a see through fence is not appealing as then all backyard privacy is lost - which includes seeing my mothers bloomers on the clothesline.

I have also suggested a more scary dog but mum and dad are rather attached to the jack russell and they don't have the energy to look after anything bigger - even Max the jack russell takes a bit of energy.

But the idea of a motion activated recording could be good - also coupled with a motion activated CCTV cameras. I may do some research on that. May also stick up some signs about video surveilance etc.

But I'm curious - anyone have any thoughts on the barbed wire strung acvross the top of the fence. I'd rather have a proactive approach stopping these idiots instead of a reactive one.


Thanks


g
 
Put in a garden a couple of metres in breadth the length of the back fence. Put in tomatoes, beans and other climbing type plants. Use 4 foot stakes driven a foot into the ground, with both ends sharpened. Keep the stakes no more than 50 cm apart.

There's nothing unusual about oldies having big vege gardens, and they use stakes sharpened at both ends so they can turn the stake over once one end gets blunt (they grew up during the depression, remember).

The next time someone jumps the fence, they will get a very nasty surprise.
 
LOL re bloomers ;)
gg1965 said:
But I'm curious - anyone have any thoughts on the barbed wire strung acvross the top of the fence.
Click to expand...
Don't you already know the answer? You can't put anything there that could injure somebody, even if they'd only injure themselves by doing something illegal. :eek:
 
How about some big bright sensor lights front and rear?

Obviously I don't think like they do but being illuminlated in the process of a dodgy act would startle me.
 
ozperp said:
LOL re bloomers ;)

Don't you already know the answer? You can't put anything there that could injure somebody, even if they'd only injure themselves by doing something illegal. :eek:
Click to expand...

So how is it that my workplace can put them up around its perimeter? :confused:

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
gg1965 said:
they have phoned the cops but the cops cannot do anything unless there is evidence of a breakin (seeing someone in your backyard who came over the back fence is not good enough). thye spoke to the council and they cannot do anything.
Click to expand...

Last time I checked it's called trespassing.
And "attempted breaking" is an offence as well.
I suggest you got and talk to the local commander.

A nice big angry dog works fine.
 
I think any object that may injure the kids will only aggravate the situation further.. If anyone was to be injured, your parent's house would be target number 1! you don't want a gang of kids, maybe with their parents, wanting revenge.. nasty stuff.
DavidMc said:
How about some big bright sensor lights front and rear?
Click to expand...
Kudos for this idea. Cheap and effective.. maybe video cameras too? But I think camera footage would only be useful to the police if it showed the kid's face with a tv in his hands running out of the house.. pretty useless otherwise.
 
I second the bouganvillea, if you're in the right climate for it. The stuff grows incredibly fast and the thorns are nasty. Fertilise and water it and you don't get flowers, but you get thorns. I can't grow it up this way, it gets too cold. When they are small they'd still hurt like hell to land in.

Check out anything else with thorns you can lay your hands on too. I planted lots of briar roses at my old house but then hit two drought years and they never got big enough to do any real damage.

Also have you considered adding a sloped section to the top of the fence, like they do on top of the chainwire fences around commercial places?

Either way, a very thick layer of fast-growing plants, thorns or not, on that back fence will make it very hard for anyone to get in. Its easy to jump a fence, its less easy to jump a briar hedge of some kind. Just don't plant trees, plant climbers or shrubs. Trees = living ladders.
 
Is there a reason they are targeting your parents, other than being easy targets?
My grandmother once had a spate of break ins and all they would take was her heart medication and her bank book.
 
vbplease said:
I guess it would come down to the home security.. adequate locks, security grills etc.

Won't a kid be able to climb the fence and jump over the boganvilleas?
Click to expand...

Not if the plants are growing along the top of the fence (ie. spilling over). Guess they could try climber roses if that failed.... almost as bad as barbed wire......

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
I'll add to the agreement with the Bougainvillea idea - had a massive bush of that at my first house, ouch!

Also, is there any chance you can just make the fence taller to deter people? Even if the council don't allow a higher fence than say 6 feet, add some latticing to the top of another 3 feet or so, with dare I say it - Bougainvillea creeping all over it. ;)

Pay the extra $100 (?) to get already large sized Bougainvillea's put in and the problem may be sorted in a couple months. Remember, it doesn't have to be full proof - just has to make the idiots think "too hard, go to the neighbours."
 
In one grandfather's garden backing on the local reserve,
the tomato plants were strung on barbed wire 18 inches inside the fence,
18 inches inside that,
18 inches inside that,
6 rows
 
Or why not plant a garden bed IN the park,
talk to council if you can help beautify the area so park users dont see the ugly colorbond
lots of p-rickly stuff <--- don't need a string of asterisks for this, its not the offensive version
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

C
Unsure on QLD Granny-flatting rules
Replies
12
Views
3K
Azazel
A
N
Empty block (Council land) next to house
Replies
0
Views
596
Nem
N
I
Best agent recommendations or sell privately?
Replies
18
Views
4K
Ivanka
I
P
Protection from Adverse Possession
Replies
10
Views
3K
pier1
P
O
Tree uprooted - damages to property
Replies
0
Views
1K
orangestreet
O
Back
Top