James84, how awful. I'm truly sorry to hear about this. My house in Crawthew Grove was burgled 7 years ago. They'd gained entry through the back of the house no more than 20 mins after we'd packed the car for our xmas hols - obviously watching our every move. Fortunately, although they ripped open our patio doors, they didn't manage to steal a thing. Our alarm screamed at them at an earpiercing, blood-letting volume and they scarpered. As the alarm was connected to police central station, the police were on the scene within minutes. As some people have already mentioned, often this type of scumbag will return, especially if they see packaging for replacement goods. They'll think twice if they see that you've had an alarm installed. You could pay around ?20 per month service charge, plus the initial installation fee, but I think this pays for itself with peace of mind. I remember that sickening feeling that strangers had broken into my home. Thankfully, an experience we haven't suffered since. Our alarm was fitted and is serviced by British Gas. I really hope you guys recover from this soon.