if someone breaks into your home........

**crc** · 07/12/2004, 4:53 PM

I think the right principle is "reasonable force". The idea is not to protect scumbags - they can all go to hell, IMO - but rather to protect both sides when its not so simple as good guy-vs-bad guy;

...when I was much younger (around 10 or 11) a friend of mine (and no, this is not a euphamism for me!!) told me that he once broke into a neighbour's house when he knew they weren't going to be around. He didn't take anything. He didn't damage anything. He just did it for the 'buzz', because he didn't like the guy. Nothing more came of it. It was a pretty stupid thing to do, and in no way am I saying that it was OK to do even that.

However, what if the neighbour had been at home, and caught the guy. Would it have been appropriate to use physical force, just because you saw some guy in the dark? I think there are no easy answers in this situation. I've been on the victims side aswell, and nothing eats at you inside like being violated in that way.

I have no time for scumbags, professional thieves or anyone who would use indiscriminate violence against someone, but sometimes its just a 10-year old kid who's doing something that's pretty stupid, but not that malicious.

**Metrostars** · 07/12/2004, 5:39 PM

The first and thankfully only time when I was robbed was when I was 18 and had just gotten my first car. Someone smashed the window, stole my newly installed radio/tape deck (16 years ago...) and stole all my tapes except a Phil Collins tape my then girlfriend liked to listen to

My brother in Galway has had his van broken into a number of times with a number of his work tools stolen. During the middle of the day. The Gardai, great investigators that they are, told him they knew who was stealing the tools but could not prove anything.

**Fair_play_boy** · 07/12/2004, 10:10 PM

Some of the states in the US allow a home owner or legal tenant to shoot and kill an intruder even if they are still in the drive way, just so long as they are on the property. It is called the "Make My Day" law in the media, for an obvious reason.
I don't think I will be bothered by burglars. We have kids and the house always looks a mess. If anybody thinks of breaking in, one look in the window and they will think that someone beat them to it.

**sylvo** · 07/12/2004, 10:13 PM

Originally Posted by the 12 th man

i heard some guy on the radio last eve.he happened to be in a unique situation of being both a policeman (in england) and the chairman of the "victims of crime trust" (something like that anyway).

the gist of what he was saying was that he thinks that the intruder is too well protected in this situation.
you see if you are woken up at 3.30 am by a man/men in your bedroom or your kids bedroom you are supposed to react in a "reasonable way" to the situation.he was not advocating having a machine gun or anything just being able to have the likes of a 4 iron or similar to wrap around their head/s.if you
enter my house and i'm sure most people on here would be the same well then its all bets off and i would have no pity on anybody caught doing this.

myself,i've a nice cricket bat

Had to make a quick return to Ireland three weeks ago myself 12th due to my old building site of a house that I'm putting everything into to make a home for myself getting broke into by scumbags who seemed to think I had a DIY store in there.
I can count myself lucky that I had just damage to doors and and padlocks to deal with and that they left empty handed due to anything like power tools (which I would guess they were after) being locked away in relations houses. Sadly some of the nearby house's were'nt as lucky as me an had thousands of euro worth of stuff stolen a couple of days before my place was broke into by I would guess the same gang.
I can back up what some of the posters on here are saying who have lost far more than what happened to me three weeks ago that it is a real kick in the teeth to find your home damaged and your belongings thrown around the place as well as to feel that not only has someone been keeping an quick glance at yer property and what they might be able to steal from it, but also to your movements in and out it.
Scum that go around braking into homes have no feelings for the people who's homes they are robbing from so why should anyone have any feelings for them. One hope I have for the scum who broke into my place is that one of their next victims might be able to catch them in the act and go to town on them.
I totally agree with yer on using force and whatever weapon that you can grab on scum who brake into homes.

**Macy** · 08/12/2004, 7:38 AM

Originally Posted by crc

I have no time for scumbags, professional thieves or anyone who would use indiscriminate violence against someone, but sometimes its just a 10-year old kid who's doing something that's pretty stupid, but not that malicious.

Sure you wouldn't need to beat him with a bat - quick slap around the head would've done...

**the 12 th man** · 09/12/2004, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by sylvo

Had to make a quick return to Ireland three weeks ago myself 12th due to my old building site of a house that I'm putting everything into to make a home for myself getting broke into by scumbags who seemed to think I had a DIY store in there.
I can count myself lucky that I had just damage to doors and and padlocks to deal with and that they left empty handed due to anything like power tools (which I would guess they were after) being locked away in relations houses. Sadly some of the nearby house's were'nt as lucky as me an had thousands of euro worth of stuff stolen a couple of days before my place was broke into by I would guess the same gang.
I can back up what some of the posters on here are saying who have lost far more than what happened to me three weeks ago that it is a real kick in the teeth to find your home damaged and your belongings thrown around the place as well as to feel that not only has someone been keeping an quick glance at yer property and what they might be able to steal from it, but also to your movements in and out it.
Scum that go around braking into homes have no feelings for the people who's homes they are robbing from so why should anyone have any feelings for them. One hope I have for the scum who broke into my place is that one of their next victims might be able to catch them in the act and go to town on them.
I totally agree with yer on using force and whatever weapon that you can grab on scum who brake into homes.

what a bummer.

you are going to be a target till you get finished

.

the sergeant in my local town which as you know is not far from the "thoroughbread county" was renovating his house.
one night while the builders were still on site thieves stole all his roof slates (worth a few grand)before they were fitted...and he's a garda ffs

**anto eile** · 09/12/2004, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Conor74

If the person was an asylum seeker who had just got into this country, had a wife and children to feed, and wasn't as aware of the importance of private property as we are, would you rather him club him with a baton or beat him with a golf club?

rubbish. anyone from anywehere in the world knows its wrong to break into another persons house and steal from them. "your honor, i deednt know eet was against the law" yeah right get real
if someone breaks into my home i should have the right to do whatever i like to him,with no restrictions.if i want to teach the fukcer a lesson and torture him to death over a period of months then thats his tough shyt

**anto eile** · 09/12/2004, 12:42 PM

Originally Posted by Conor74

Are you arguing that people should be allowed to take the law into their own hands because of the inadequacy of the crime prevention services?

well, the crime prevention sevises ARE inadequate so they should be allowed defend their property from attack as they themselves see fit

**anto eile** · 09/12/2004, 12:50 PM

I don't know your take on leather clad gimps
cant say im into that . but as someone else mentioned "the make my day law" is right up my street

**carrickharp** · 10/12/2004, 7:18 AM

On the subject of scumbags two little feckers ran down our street at 10.30 last night and broke a window in 5 cars in a row mine included

Happy Christmas to you as well you toerags. Didn�t get a chance to try me Baseball bat

**dortie** · 10/12/2004, 9:13 AM

If i caught someone in my house Id hit them over the head with the nearest Instrument i got my hands on.

One time i was in the States a guy told me if a person enters your house you can shoot him, although if you blow him out the window youd need to lift him and put him back into the house as its man-slaughter to kill him/her outside the house itself. Crazy stuff. This was Minnesota.