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@gwynj is this happening a lot in BG, gangs of ravenous gangs breaking into houses?

@gwynj

This will interest you

Thanks for the info on the brands you've looked at. We had a break in where the whole house, annexe, cellar and sheds were opened up, the power tools and good hand tools were taken, but thankfully nothing else. We don't have internet installed, and turn off the mains when we leave, the solar setup sounds like it would suit us. I did find a camera system that uses 4G SIM cards, but was unsure about the amount of data use and the cost of subscription service for data logging services. Does anyone have any ideas on the costs for this?

Of course immediate action following a break-in would still be an issue, although I quite like the idea of a loud speaker system to yell abuse at an intruder.

If you're planning to install security cameras you should be aware that it's illegal here to have cameras positioned so that they can see any portion of your neighbours' property, or anyone passing by on the street/road.  Many people are unhappy if you infringe on their legal right to privacy in this way, and you're liable to have a visit from the local Plod if your cameras even appear to stray outside the boundaries of your property.  We had such a visit a year or so ago - someone had complained about our neighbour's security cameras; the neighbours were out, so I had a chat with the cops and assured them that the cameras didn't point anywhere they shouldn't.  They left satisfied, having ticked the boxes on their report sheet - and without noticing that the neighbours haven't got any cameras; in fact ours is the only house in the street with any, but I didn't see the need to point that out....

    Thanks for the info on the brands you've looked at. We had a break in where the whole house, annexe, cellar and sheds were opened up, the power tools and good hand tools were taken, but thankfully nothing else. We don't have internet installed, and turn off the mains when we leave, the solar setup sounds like it would suit us. I did find a camera system that uses 4G SIM cards, but was unsure about the amount of data use and the cost of subscription service for data logging services. Does anyone have any ideas on the costs for this?
Of course immediate action following a break-in would still be an issue, although I quite like the idea of a loud speaker system to yell abuse at an intruder.
   

    -@porridgeandprunes

Our "village", actually a suburb of Sofia, has its fair share of burglaries and many of our neighbours have internal security cameras - the video from them is usually posted to our FB group the day after a burglary.  The lessons to be learned:

the burglars are well aware that they're being filmed (and that in most cases the owners of the property are asleep in the house) - they wear hoodies and masks, and aren't worried about encountering the occupants, although they usually stop short of coming into the bedroom;

they recognise good security cameras and chuck them into their swag-bags - burglars don't like being burgled either;

they often go to the kitchen first and dig out some nice sharp knives, just in case someone wakes up; they're usually very quiet and avoid waking anyone inside but a good burglar's motto is like a boy scout's - Be Prepared! 

they're often pretty agile, so you need to really think carefully about what is and isn't accessible; thanks to the people on YouTube showing off their parcour skills, most properties are vulnerable somewhere or other.

insurance is essential, but read the small print carefully: you'll need to ensure you have the right kind of locks etc and follow the conditions for unoccupied properties.

if your property is unoccupied, you WILL sooner or later have "visitors"; make sure that it's as difficult as possible for the beggars to get in - with a bit of luck, they'll go next door instead.

your neighbours DO go to sleep at night, so don't assume that they'll hear anything when you're being burgled - or even when they themselves are..

use good locks on your doors and have them fitted properly; snapping Eurocylinders is easy, and picking them isn't too hard either (take a look at YouTube if you don't believe me).  Don't bother with cheap chains or padlocks, they're easy to break/saw through: I recommend Pewag Forestry chains and Abloy 362 padlocks, but even they won't save you from toe-rags with a decent cordless angle grinder and a bit of time to use it.  You may get a crisis of conscience regarding the padlocks - they're available at the moment on Ebay for £45; the normal retail is c£300 but these are stolen wholesale from Army/RAF/RN stores - DO NOT lose the two keys they come with, you'll never get another key cut, or from the manufacturer without the kosher paperwork....