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Do you lock your front door while you're in?

Mord

Mord

macrumors G4
Original poster
Aug 24, 2003
10,091
23
UK
We don't, I used to though since we bought our current house we don't see the point so it just stays unlocked through the day, a few times we've neglected to lock overnight.

I'm curious how common this is?

I really like it, it's taken a while for our friends to get used to it but it's so nice to have them be able to visit and just walk in without needing to answer the door.
 
Always. When would you rather bad guys come into your house? When you aren't home and they just take your stuff? Or when you are? And they rape you and then take your stuff? If you lock it when you aren't there, you certainly should lock it when you are.
 
Mac'nCheese said:
Always. When would you rather bad guys come into your house? When you aren't home and they just take your stuff? Or when you are? And they rape you and then take your stuff? If you lock it when you aren't there, you certainly should lock it when you are.
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Maybe if I'm home alone? Though even still, they could ring the doorbell, I'd open the door and then they could push me and have away with me.

I don't see how having my front door locked makes me much safer unless I refuse to open it to strangers. Were I that kinda paranoid I'd never go outside.
 
I always lock my door.

Not to bring up tragedy but I watched an AWFUL news story (stop reading now if you don't want to hear about horrible violence)...








...where a guy walked into a home where the door was unlocked, tied up the adults and killed them all, kidnapped two little kids in the house, tortured and disemboweled the little boy in front of his sister, and then was caught in a diner (I think a Denny's) alone with the little girl.

His reason for doing it? The door was unlocked. He said if it was locked he'd of walked away.

So yea, I lock my doors.
 
Mord said:
Maybe if I'm home alone? Though even still, they could ring the doorbell, I'd open the door and then they could push me and have away with me.

I don't see how having my front door locked makes me much safer unless I refuse to open it to strangers. Were I that kinda paranoid I'd never go outside.
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You equate not opening doors to strangers to being so paranoid you don't ever go outside? You supposed to refuse to open doors to strangers until you find out who they are and what they want. You don't feel safer having control over that so you figure you just leave the door open and let whoever wants to, to just walk in. My 4 year old knows better then this.
 
I lock my doors all the time. Heck, I even lock my car doors when I'm in the car. Force of habit, plus, why wouldn't you do it? It takes what, maybe half a second to lock/unlock the door when you get in or before you leave?
 
MorphingDragon said:
Yes.

Any City in New Zealand is dodgy. But I know people that keep their apartment unlocked.
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I had two guys who I think were going to try and rob me in Nelson. They were yelling stuff at me asking me what was in my bag (a very pricey camera) until I unclipped my tripod which made a much better weapon than this guys very big umbrella (it wasn't raining either so I was suspicious on why he was carrying it).

I kept walking and he and his friend were shouting stuff at me but I was right by my hotel so I ducked in there and they left.
 
Mac'nCheese said:
You equate not opening doors to strangers to being so paranoid you don't ever go outside? You supposed to refuse to open doors to strangers until you find out who they are and what they want. You don't feel safer having control over that so you figure you just leave the door open and let whoever wants to, to just walk in. My 4 year old knows better then this.
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But our front door is double glazed, I wouldn't be able to hear them.

I'm curious as to where you live? I can kinda understand that sort of mentality in the centre of a large city like london or new york? but somewhere like where I live, a city of 200,000 with low crime I don't see the point.

If a stranger just walked in I would challenge them and likely ask them to leave and if they did not I'd do my best to physically eject them. This has never happened though and I just don't see it as particularly likely.

Why would a stranger walk in? they'd have to walk through my front garden, test my door, and be the kind of nutter to just walk straight in, it seems awfully unlikely.
 
chrono1081 said:
I had two guys who I think were going to try and rob me in Nelson. They were yelling stuff at me asking me what was in my bag (a very pricey camera) until I unclipped my tripod which made a much better weapon than this guys very big umbrella (it wasn't raining either so I was suspicious on why he was carrying it).

I kept walking and he and his friend were shouting stuff at me but I was right by my hotel so I ducked in there and they left.
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In South Auckland, if you hold up a $20 note 1 of 2 things will happen. Some random guy will come up and steal it, or offer you drugs.
 
Mord said:
But our front door is double glazed, I wouldn't be able to hear them.

I'm curious as to where you live? I can kinda understand that sort of mentality in the centre of a large city like london or new york? but somewhere like where I live, a city of 200,000 with low crime I don't see the point.

If a stranger just walked in I would challenge them and likely ask them to leave and if they did not I'd do my best to physically eject them. This has never happened though and I just don't see it as particularly likely.

Why would a stranger walk in? they'd have to walk through my front garden, test my door, and be the kind of nutter to just walk straight in, it seems awfully unlikely.
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Seems awfully unlikely but it can happen. If you want to take that risk, go ahead. I actually live in a perfectly safe New Jersey (no jokes please, its actually nice here) town right down the street from the police department. I'd say I have more of a chance of being hit by lightning and winning the lottery in the same day then by someone just walking into my home and hurting my family. I still lock the door. Some things are just too important.
 
Mac'nCheese said:
Seems awfully unlikely but it can happen. If you want to take that risk, go ahead. I actually live in a perfectly safe New Jersey (no jokes please, its actually nice here) town right down the street from the police department. I'd say I have more of a chance of being hit by lightning and winning the lottery in the same day then by someone just walking into my home and hurting my family. I still lock the door. Some things are just too important.
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Maybe if we had kids I'd feel differently, just I live with two other adults. If someone came in to kidnap/rape us they'd probably not succeed.
 
Mord said:
Maybe if we had kids I'd feel differently, just I live with two other adults. If someone came in to kidnap/rape us they'd probably not succeed.
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I hear you. That's is true, though. You would feel more worried about your kids but if you and your house mates are in shape and might even welcome a challenge, if you know what I mean, you probably have nothing to worry about. Unless they have guns and knives and **** like that but you probably don't live in a movie....
 
Always. Its also the best way i've found to keep me from losing my keys.
 
I grew up in a house where doors where never locked. I am now 64 yrs old and have never locked the door when I am home.
 
I'm in a condo, so I leave it unlocked if I am home, but lock it upon retiring or if I am leaving the building.

pcgeek12345 said:
Heck, I even lock my car doors when I'm in the car.
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That is just being smart.

If I am waiting for a passenger, outside in my car, I always lock the doors.

Mord said:
Maybe if we had kids I'd feel differently ...
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Absolutely. I would trust that Moyank24 locks her doors, to protect the girls.
 
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Mord said:
Maybe if we had kids I'd feel differently, just I live with two other adults. If someone came in to kidnap/rape us they'd probably not succeed.
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they might only be interested in robbing you :p

a woman I know returned home, entered leaving the front door unlocked behind her, put her purse on the hall table and walked into the kitchen. A little later she returned to the hall to find the door standing open and her purse gone.
 
All doors are always locked when we are home or out. My wife always asks if the doors are locked, and always checks to make sure no matter what I say. She got beaten up in our home by a crazy neighbor couple a few years ago and she is rightfully afraid it could happen again even though we have long since moved to another location.
 
Since I live in an apartment building in a good sized city I always do, but back at my parent's house in a small town, we only bothered to lock it at night. The only homicide that happened there was like 25 years ago ;)
 
We always lock our front door, the only time its not locked is when somebody is going through it or if we're expecting company/family. It's just good practice. It was left unlocked the other night for about 8 hours while we were out and I couldn't think about anything besides somebody coming in and robbing us blind. It's not worth it to not lock it. We also have garage so that gets used more often than not anyways.
 
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