Someone is breaking into the house next door; do you say something to them or just call the cops?
I would do both. I have a big dog though, which gives me a certain amount of false confidence. Still, sometimes a loud "hey, what are you doing?!" is enough to stop any number of bad things.
Call the police, let the people being paid for the job, get on with it.
I would dial 911 immediately...if I said anything, I would yell from a window, NOT go outside. You never know if they are carrying knifes, guns or both. I keep my house locked all the time. OR, if they were already inside the house, I would hope the cops would arrive and catch them. Blessings, Sparklea
say something. standing by and just letting the police take care of it is wrong. what if the police don't get there in time, what if someone is home and they get hurt or badly scared. we need to stand up for each other to make this world a better place, not just rely on the government and authorities to do all the dirty work.
I would call 911 because if you startle a robber, they could use a weapon and you could get injured or killed. If this means do you say something to the neighbors, I would not call them because the people could get into the house and if they are on the phone the robbers could think they are calling the cops and more could happen because of that. I watch a lot of crime shows.
Calling 911 is good advice - why is this answer voted down?
If you have one of those car door gizmos with a red alarm button, press it. Your horn will begin honking very loudly and will let the thief know he's been seen. Then call 911.
Call your other neighbors as well and get them to press their alarm buttons. The racket will most likely scare the thief away.
Any police officer will tell you that approaching a criminal is dangerous and should not be attempted by anybody who is untrained, even if they have a weapon.
I'd definitely call the cops. I would not say anything because by the time the cops got there, they'd be gone. There is a better chance of catching them if they don't know that anyone else knows.
There is no way that you interact with people who are breaking in anywhere! Call the police, get to a safe location. If safe, take photos with the smartphone, note the time, location of entry, vehicle identification and other identifying facts.
Break in artists are becoming much more desperate and dangerous these days. If they are under the influence of drugs like methamphetamine, then they may kill someone just for the thrill. Others will be desperate to stay out of jail.
If these people will kill police, then they will not hesitate to kill a neighbor. Call the cops.
I would let the police handle it because I would have no idea if they are armed or what their true intention is.
It depends on the time of day and circumstances. I do not want to endanger myself, especially if the person is armed or dangerous. I might just let my presence be known, which might likely cause the person to flee. My dogs would probably hear the break-in before I do, which would also be a deterrent. I would definitely call 911.
All any observer knows is a crime is being committed and the criminal doesn't want to get caught. There are too many unknowns that could escalate a burglary to a tragedy. The police are trained to handle crimes and the perps. As the world saw in the recent, well-publicized tragedy where a teenage boy lost his life, the neighborhood watchman was advised by 911 that help was on the way and to stop pursuing the teenager. A young man would be alive today and many would have been spared unnecessary grief had the police been allowed to handle the situation.
Times have changed. You have a duty to get involved. However you must consider your safety. Record all the information you can and get the trained professionals ie police. To get your self shot or killed will not do the other home owner any good. So help in every way you can but stay safe. One other thing though. Are they home or not? I will not put myself in harms way for an empty house .But if people are home kids in particular . Then I would risk my safety to protect them.
I live in an inner city area, close to the police station. When a neighbours flat was being broken into we called the police who turned up 12 hours later. The thieves had gone by then!
I have been through the very same thing. Certain neighborhoods, you're kind of 'on your own'. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.
Thirty or even twenty years ago I would have been out and at them but I'm no longer fighting fit
I 'd call the police. We have a "neigborhood watch" approach where I live. This means we stay aware of strangers and things that seem unusual. This does not mean that we are expected to intercept a crime in progress; however, if someone senses that he is being watched, it is often enough of a deterrent. I think it is important to be able to provide descriptions of the perps and vehicles incl. license # and the time of the incident for a police report. The more info, the better the chances of an arrest and recovery of stolen goods.
I would call the police. If the opportunity still presented itself, I might shout at the intruder, but I would rather know that the police are on the way if he (or she) is coming after me.
I am not sure that calling a miscreant's attention to yourself is the wisest way to go, especially when it also provides a fairly good idea of where you live.
First, call the police. Then it becomes a matter of judgment. You do as circumstances dictate. Is your neighbor at home and in danger? How long will it take the police to arrive? Is this an isolated incident or a plague on the neighborhood? How many of the invaders are there? Are they armed? Do you have a shotgun? Do you know how and when to use it? Are you capable of intervention, or not? Those are just some of the questions that should run through your mind. Whether or not you take action will be determined by the answers, put together into a whole picture, almost instantly.
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