What do European people do to burglars?

Question

Here in the free world we'd just pop a few bullets into an a.. hole that broke into our house, right? It's not like he's "oh sorry homie, I didn't know it was wrong or nothing "

And I never knew this, but apparently in lots of Europe it's illegal to shoot a burglar at 2 am inside your home. That makes my brain go "so what do they do "?

Anyone from Europe who can tell me?

DaveJord · Accepted Answer

So I lived in Italy and Germany for a combined 12 years. Italy is one of those European countries with high petty crime and low violent crime. More time then not if someone breaks into your house or car and you see them you yell and they run away. If you confront them then and assault them in your own home then you can be charged with assault. And you can be arrested, fined or put in jail. I know, I know this sounds crazy to us Americans. But there is a low threshold for violent crime and the laws are strict.

So it kind of works because Italy have some strict insurance laws, so if anything is stolen you get reimbursed. Criminals are not violent because they know if they run they will not get shot or injured, so they run like 99% of the time. Same is true for Germany, but Germany has low crime rates all together.

In Italy everyone has alarm systems and cameras, for the most that deters a lot of buglers because if they get caught they will go to jail... there no catch and release in Italy you get arrested you stay in jail until the court date and trail.

In Italy as well there are a lot of cars that be busted into, like smash and grabs. The bust open your window and grab whatever they can from the inside. And Americans are really bad about leaving a lot of expense stuff in their cars. So for me I was left nothing in my car and left the car unlocked. They open the car and go through the glove box or something and find nothing. But since the door was open they never busted a my windows. Auto theft of any type no matter the value of the car is grand theft and they will go to jail, so 99% of the time they are interested in stealing your car. If they really wanted to steal your car, then there is nothing you can do to stop them. They will bring all the tech they need with them to do it.

bolverk · Accepted Answer

In the North of England they are libel to run into the business end of a cricket bat, hockey stick or some other blunt object, while being harried by the family dog.

cloudspy · Answer

Usually a burglar will run off if they've decided to go into an occupied house and been disturbed mid act, so the option is to chase them down and try to make a citizens arrest, or the rational thing would be to let them go and report it to the police. You get a crime number and you have house insurance to cover any lost possessions.

If you get in a confrontation with an armed burglar then basically you just have to hope for the best. I guess you could try stab them if you've a knife handy. It would be self defence if you harm an armed burglar that's coming at you and not running away. Tricky area though. Concentrate on making your place secure so they can't get in in the first place is a good idea.

Very violent place is America. One wrong move and you're fucked. It all seems too trigger happy. It must be very unnerving to know everyone can have a gun and could go ape shit one day on you. Terrible way to live in such threat and danger. No wonder you all are fighting fire with fire that just makes more fire. I get that it's been ingrained in the country over a long time so people are resistent to give up their guns.

Anonymous · Answer

The laws where I’m from are ridiculous, and the police are absolutely fucking useless.

Apparently, if you attack a burglar or even if he injures himself burgling your house, you’ll be charged with assault or sued.

Police often don’t even investigate burglaries anymore. They say that’s because they don’t have the funding. There are people being arrested for posting mean things on social media, they’ve got enough funding for that, but not if you’re burgled.

In fact recently there was a case where the police were going to arrest someone but they went to the wrong door - the door of an 81 year old man who’d recently had two strokes. Confused, thinking that they were burglars, he came to the door with his walking sticks. So then they called for back-up, ending up with a total of 10 officers, just to arrest an 81 year old man. He was covered with bruises and blood once they did. The story:

https://metro.co.uk/2022/09/05/dementia-hit-grandfather-81-bruised-after-10-police-arrest-him-17300387/amp/

Personally, since you never know what could happen or what the intruder is capable of, I’d risk going to jail by attacking him with whatever I can find to use as a weapon. As they say, better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

purplepoppy · Answer

European burglars tend to sneak in when your out of the house or asleep. You rarely know you're getting burgled until the next day when the tvs gone.
Burglars very very rarely go armed. For the simple reason if their caught it dramatically increases the sentence. As for what you do with them that's a gray area. You are allowed to use force in proportion to the danger your in. So if you're 7ft tall 20stone bodybuilder its frowned upon for decapitating a scrawny 5ft 16 year old kid. But if you're a 80 year old women and he's 25 it's pretty much anything goes.
As for guns, we'll you're supposed to keep them locked up. But if you just happen to be cleaning your gun at 2am that's ok. Usually burglars just fall down the stairs 3 or 4 times

HighValue · Answer

They probably call the police. they tell the burglar, "Time out, I need to call the police."

So the burglar politely waits. After the call, the homeowner says, "okay, thank you. Carry on then."

Then the burglar stabs the homeowner and kills them, takes some valuables and leaves.

Ten minutes later the police arrive and say, "oh dear, the homeowner is dead. How could this have happened. We don't have guns here so everyone is safe." Then the police look at the stabbing statistics and think, (maybe people are just naturally violent and will use whatever means available to harm others. At least we don't have guns though. Getting stabbed to death is much less harmful than being shot to death.)

Then the Americans read about it and roll their eyes at the stupidity.

Fuentes · Answer

They let them steal and hurt them and their family and call the police after if they all aren't dead and think that's normal. In the UK I saw they had protest outside one man's house because he shot DEAD a robber in their house who planned to hurt them.

Calling him a murderer and trashing his house everyday and protesting him. They're sick people over there, defending criminals and letting criminals hurt them and their families.

PeteBy · Answer

As a general rule, in Britain at least; reasonable force is allowed. There's been quite a number of people, sentenced to jail who have killed burglars who have been allowed to walk free due to public pressure.

Personally if a burglar was in my house he wouldn't be getting out alive.

JDAC092299 · Answer

My brothers flat got broken into he made a citizen’s arrest and called the police held the man steady with the burgers own weapon after disarming him the police collect him and the weapon and that was pretty much the end of it, this is in the Uk and the weapon was a sharpened screw driver as bizarre as it sounds.

DarkWinterNights · Answer

Dunno. They don’t really have all that much to worry about over there to my knowledge. They don’t have the homelessness, mental health issues, drugs wars, gang violence or wild animals that the Americas do. At least not to the extent we do.

They don’t fully comprehend the possibility they could be mauled and eaten just walking to the mailbox or have their car stripped in the driveway, or being kidnapped by a serial killer from your job, graped and chopped up.

DJB72 · Answer

It's called the principle of relative force.

I'm an amputee now, but wasn't always. If someone breaks into my home I'll meet that threat with equal force. If I fear for my life or the life of my family I'll kill to protect them.

Statistics show in a break-in if you're confronting the intruder with a gun you're more likely to be killed than you are to kill or even wound the intruder. And the most likely weapon used to kill the homeowner is their own firearm.

TheVigilantOne · Answer

If you hurt them here they can sue you if they get hurt they can sue you so the burglar will get on better than you. If you kill them you’re going to prison. It’s pathetic really but that’s the government for you.

Smashingdoozy · Answer

If you discover a burglar in your house you just fucking leave them be/call the police. Content insurance exists for a reason.

es20490446e · Answer

Burglars in Europe don't have fire weapons. Hence they tend to break into houses only when nobody is there.

Avicenna · Answer

In Germany, they'd be more interested in prosecuting someone who uses force against a burglar than the burglar themselves.

Sixgunsound · Answer

In off base housing at La Maddalena if you got broken into and hurt the criminal you became a criminal.

Midgetmcwidget · Answer

We have Been inspired by home alone and created a few welcome surprises for anyone gate crashing.

jshm2 · Answer

We sit them down for a few months, and reform them.  In America you're as likely to be killed by a cop, than the burglar, though.

Jenny-Marie · Answer

In Europe we don't have a US gun culture, a shooting is still national news. We use a heavy candlestick or walking stick to wack them over the head. Failing that we push our wives in front of us to tackle them with a heavy handbag.

genericname85 · Answer

Burglars here don't break into your house when you're home.

LadiesFavoriteToy · Answer

Reason why European women get raped more. They can't or won't fight back

Anonymous · Answer

I'm sure they don't resort to pussy gun violence like you sad Americans do

Anonymous · Answer

Depends most are cowards I keep a bat beside my bed and know where to source a barrel of acid from

007kingifrit · Answer

i heard it was illegal to hit someone mugging you in Europe. such wimps

Anonymous · Answer

Is this uncontrolled shooting propaganda? Of course it is.

YoogurtBro12 · Answer

Sneak from behind and smack!!! Throw dead body in the ocean

dustybiker · Answer

I heard the slow toast them over a spit.

BlueScorpio · Answer

I guess a baseball bat?

laraWM · Answer

You basically call the police

Kenyazummo · Answer

No idea. It seems really silly

Anonymous · Answer

They flick their beans in terror

Debbie14217 · Answer

no idea

Anonymous · Answer

Call the police

What do European people do to burglars?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Burglars, what advice do you have for people to protect their homes?

What do European people do to burglars?

Most Helpful Opinions

Most Helpful Opinions

What Girls & Guys Said

Burglars, what advice do you have for people to protect their homes?

We're glad to see you liked this post.