Even if you don’t see any immediate signs that someone has broken into your home, you’ll likely see evidence of it as soon as you step inside, or as many homeowners do, you’ll get a sense of someone having intruded in your personal space.
Whatever way you find out that someone has been inside your home without your permission, and regardless of whether they steal anything of value or not, there are some important steps that you should follow in the immediate aftermath of a break in:
Contact the police
If you don’t feel safe inside your home, either because you believe the intruder may still be there, or you simply feel unnerved, you could go to a neighbor’s home or to your car, and place a call to the police to report the break in.
Make a written account of what has been stolen
To help the police, and in the event of an insurance claim, it’s important to go through your entire home and try to see what has been taken. Try not to touch anything, as your home is effectively an active crime scene, but scan every room and check drawers to see what might be missing. Don’t rely on memory either, write the missing items down while they’re still fresh in your mind.
Take photographs
Taking pictures of any broken windows or doors, or any other signs of damage or forced entry, can be helpful when making a police and insurance case.
Call a local, emergency locksmith
It’s only when you experience a break in that you realize how useful it can be to have the number of a local, emergency locksmith stored in your cell. As soon as the police have carried out their work, you need to call a locksmith and ask them to attend your property as you’ve experienced a break in. Many locksmiths offer an emergency service, meaning that whatever the time of day, they’ll come out and help make your home secure again.
Whether the locksmith needs to replace locks or repair them, will be dependent on the level of damage caused, but in many cases, even of the locks haven’t been damaged beyond repair, homeowners feel more comfortable having them fully replaced. For broken windows or doors, you may have to do a quick patch up job while you wait for a builder or handyman to come out and do it. You never know, your local locksmith may even be able to recommend someone.
While you’ve got the locksmith at your home, be sure to ask them whether they think your home requires a higher level of security, and if so, they should be able to help you achieve that by installing high security locks, or having a security system fitted.
Break ins are devastating events, and sometimes, even when we think our homes are impenetrable, burglars will use their cunning (and often their sheer desperation), to find their way in and help themselves to what you’ve worked hard to pay for. To keep your home as secure as possible, take as many safety precautions as you possibly can, and talk to your local locksmith about ways to improve any vulnerable aspects of your home.
