If you are unfortunate enough to be a victim of burglary, at home or at your place of work, you’ll know how violated and angry you feel. Unfortunately, being burgled once often sets you up for a repeat experience as thieves may target homes and workplaces where they were previously successful and where items stolen may have been replaced with new ones.
While you will probably be in shock, it’s important that you take immediate steps to protect your home and give yourself the best chance of catching the offenders. Here’s what you should do.
- Call the police. If there is any chance someone may still be inside your home, don’t enter or confront them. Call the police immediately and explain the situation. If it’s clear that the burglar has left your building, touch as little as possible so you don’t destroy any evidence.
- Make the building secure. Once the police have attended you will need to secure your building by changing the locks and/or repairing any broken windows or doors as quickly as possible. Don’t just look at the entry points that may have been used on this occasion, think about other potential entry points around your building and ensure they are also secured.
- Check what is missing. You will need to conduct a thorough inventory of everything that’s been stolen for insurance purposes. Also check whether other items like spare keys or identity documents have been taken as these could be used for identity fraud or future burglaries.
- Check over your security. Make sure your home or office is as secure as possible to deter the criminals involved from a repeat performance. This means checking over windows, doors and outdoor areas for any points of access, installing alarms if necessary and making sure valuables are kept out of sight.
A break in can be an incredibly traumatic experience for victims and many people seek counselling to help them come to terms with what happened. By taking steps to prevent future break-ins you can minimise the chance of having to go through it again, as well as safeguarding your property and keeping everyone safe.
