Should Householders Be Allowed To Tackle Burglars By Using Force

[gordiescotland1]

What do people feel about this. I am in agreement that people should have the right to defend their property.
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/483153/Scots-back-right-to-tackle-home-invaders

[mikey4444]

anaxcrosswords...the voice of common sense !

[ChillDoubt]

anaxcrosswords...the voice of common sense !
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Nearly spat my tea all over the laptop!

Perhaps it's the ex soldier in me coming out but as someone trained to defend my position, that is EXACTLY what I would do in the last bastion, my home.

[ummmm]

Are you serious, Mikey? Would you not protect your family?

[anaxcrosswords]

“Would you not protect your family?”

So you approach the intruder with some sort of weapon. He grabs your child and puts a knife to their throat. Where’s your protection now?

[mikey4444]

In the last bastion chili ?

Well, most people would under those circumstances. But you would still have to justify to a Court of Law that your actions were proportionate. I seem to remember that it wasn't so long ago that someone was jailed for shooting an unarmed burglar in the back, and killing him.
The Jury in that case all heard the same evidence and had no difficulty in deciding that the murderer didn't act proportionally.

But I have no difficulty in backing up what anaxcrosswords has said.

Ummmm..see my answer above.

[ummmm]

Now you're just making up scenarios. Talking generally if I confronted a burglar in my house I'd use whatever was to hand to smash him/her over the head.

I've been burgled...I know how it feels.

[viv38]

If it's a choice between me and an intruder, it would definitely be the intruder. He may want to rape me or harm my child. Of course I'd use whatever force necessary, if I could !

[boxtops]

Yes

[anaxcrosswords]

Doesn't matter what you do to your intruder. You don't know who he knows, who his mates are - if it came to reprisals, maybe even his scum family would join in.

[viv38]

But you don't think about that when you're protecting your child !!

[ummmm]

And they don't know who I am or who I know. It would be a very brave person to dare to come back...

[baza]

no mountains or lakes in Essex but we do have lots of fields with ditches....

[ChillDoubt]

You do mix with some extraordinary people chili...Police Officers ?
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Yes mikey, you hear all sorts in a Police canteen during 14 years service as a Special Constable.
One Sergeant said in similar circumstances he would 'staff' the burglar to death. 'Staff' was the old nickname for truncheon.
Anything else?

[anaxcrosswords]

Ummmm, how about "persons"?

[whiskeryron]

Anyone on my property who was not invited has absolutely no right to be there,therefore if that person receives injury it will be his/her own fault, had they not been there they would not have been injured so I cannot see any argument against this reasonable assumption.

[ummmm]

Who really cares? You do what you have to do at the time. If you're happy to sit back and let someone hurt you or your kids....then so be it. I certainly won't go down without a fight.

[ChillDoubt]

Absolutely ummmm.

[Baldric]

Anax, as one of the four you picked out, I said "I would have a go" as an ex RM with some years service I am still more than capable of bringing someone under control if the need arises, without doing serious damage to them, although if they turned out to be armed that might change. The local Plod could then collect and deal with them.

[anaxcrosswords]

Ummmm, that is precisely my point. Other members of your family shouldn’t be a part of this, but it’s more likely to be the case if, by law, the gloves are effectively off when you find an intruder. Yes, I did invent a scenario, but it’s a possible one.

SCENARIO
Intruder breaks in because he knows you’ve got a nice TV. He also knows that if you disturb him you may get violent, so he’ll bring something with him with which to fight back. He doesn’t know how big you are, nor you him. When you confront him he realises he might have a fight on his hands, but he still wants your TV and he’s prepared to take you on. Things don’t go exactly as he wants so he needs some other way of getting you to back off – remember, he may be more panicky than you.
So he manages to slip by and runs up the stairs into your child’s bedroom. He may have a knife, or he may just grab your child by the throat. He’s unlikely to be any more rational than you.
That experience is one from which your child may not recover for many years. For the sake of a TV.

Because modern cars are virtually impossible to steal without keys, there is a common trend of burglars breaking in just to get them – usually they’ll take nothing else from inside the house. Some people therefore advise you to keep keys hidden away, but on a recent TV programme they interviewed a guy who said he deliberately made sure the keys were easily visible as it was far more bearable for the thief to be in and out quickly rather than rummaging around and increasing the risk of discovery/confrontation. The car was insured and could be replaced.
The same isn’t quite true of your nearest and dearest.