Home burglary is among the most common crimes committed worldwide. This is because most burglars consider unsuspecting homeowners as the easiest to victimize.
Given this, it is best that you know how to keep your home safe. You also need to know the essential steps to take immediately after a home burglary, especially the following.
Call the police as soon as it is discovered that your house was burglarized. Do not go inside and move or touch anything. Instead, wait for the police to arrive at the scene.
Let them inspect the area, talk to the neighbors or other possible witnesses to the crime and collect evidence.
In most cases, allowing the police to do their work is very helpful in catching the burglars and retrieving the objects they stole.
Furthermore, make sure that the crime was correctly documented, and a valid police report is created.
Don’t forget to request a copy of the report. Doing this provides you with proof that a crime has occurred.
Also, the police report is an essential requirement when you make an insurance claim.
As soon as the police are done with their inspection, check the area thoroughly. Doing this will help you determine the number of stolen and damaged items.
Make a detailed list of the said items. It is best to include their serial numbers (when applicable) and the approximate cost.
You will most likely use the information when filing an insurance claim.
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Call your insurance company, inform them of the incident, and tell them that you will file a claim.
To get the best results, look over the homeowner’s insurance policy and check the items that are covered by the policy.
Aside from the list, prepare the proof of ownership of the things included in the claim. These can be in the form of receipts or other similar documents.
Also, include the photographs of your home before the burglary if your claim includes payment for damaged properties.
Although this step might not be applicable at all times, talking to your neighbor is also essential.
Doing such allows you to collect some valuable information about the incident. You can ask them about sightings of suspicious individuals or groups before or after the break-in.
This technique might provide you with helpful information that will expedite the apprehension of the burglars.
Talking to your neighbors might also allow you to collect surveillance footage if some of them are using security cameras.
Aside from providing more information about the burglars’ identities, this type of footage is also helpful in pushing your insurance claim through.
Changing all the locks in your house after it got burglarised is among the essential things that you should do.
This is because the simple fact that the burglars could break inside the premises means that the existing locks are no longer reliable.
Aside from that, some of the existing locks might have been damaged by burglars on their way in.
Since changing the locks needs to be accomplished immediately, you might have a hard time looking for a locksmith to handle the job.
Thus, it is best to hire the service of an emergency locksmith. By doing such, you will have all your locks replaced fast since emergency locksmiths are trained to cater to their clients’ needs any time of the day.
But because the locks used in your house play a crucial role in keeping the premise secured, it is essential that you hire the service of a reliable locksmith.
For best results, spend some time looking for a service provider online and consider hiring somebody with excellent customer ratings.
Aside from changing the locks, it is also recommended that you improve the security features of your house.
Start this by installing motion-activated lights in strategic areas outside the home. This technique effectively prevents burglars from breaking in because the lights are designed to illuminate automatically upon sensing any movement within its range.
Since burglars don’t want to be caught sneaking into their target, they will most likely refrain from breaking into your house.
Security cameras are also among the most effective tools used to boost home security.
These cameras are generally installed in strategic areas all over the house and designed to record videos round the clock.
Thus, this will discourage burglars from victimizing you.
Since seeing your house burglarised is a traumatic and unfortunate situation, it is strongly advised that you keep your home secured at all times.
This can be accomplished by installing the most reliable locks and other security tools into your home.
Although this might cause you to spend more, you will eventually realize that doing this is worth the expenses.
