When you wake up or arrive home to discover you have been burgled it is everyone’s worst nightmare, the initial reaction is panic and a whole load of other emotions. This is why our team at Access Locksmith Solutions Ltd have put together this guide on what to do if you have been burgled, so you can try and stay focus and do what needs to be done to get things back in order.
Ring The Police – The moment you discover the break in the first thing you should do is ring the police. The police will send someone out to you address and they will log the crime over the phone and provide you with a unique crime reference number, you will need to make a note of this number and keep it safe as you will require it again further down the line when you make an insurance claim. If you are outside of your property when you discover the break in it is important to stay outside until the police arrive and gather any evidence that may have been left behind.
Don’t Touch/Move Anything – Whist waiting for the police to arrive make sure that you don’t touch or move anything until they have been around and gathered all the evidence, this is because any evidence left behind by thy burglars could be destroyed which could in turn hamper the police in their investigations in trying to find the people responsible and potentially recovering stolen items.
Make A list – When the police have been to your property and given you the go ahead you can go around and make a list of any damaged or stolen items. When making the list you should be as specific as possible making note of serial numbers, any distinctive marks and also a rough estimate of the value. This will help the police to identify your missing items should they be recovered. You will also need to provide this list to your home insurance provider when you make a claim.
Call Your Bank – As soon as you get chance you should call your bank and let them know you have had a break in so they can check your account for suspicious activity. Even if your cards were not taken you should still inform your bank as a burglar could have made note of the card details to use to make online purchases.
Contact Your Home Insurance Provider – You should make sure you contact your insurance provider within 24 hours of discovering the break in so they can make a record of the break-in in and start the claim process. You will need to provide your insurer with your unique crime reference number that the police provided you with and also a list of stolen and damaged items with rough estimates of value.
Ensure Your Property Is Secure – When the police have left and have given you the go ahead you can start to straighten up and get things back in order. This included ensuring your home is secure once again. Any good local locksmith will be able to provide this service for you, windows can be boarded up and any broken locks can be replaced and even upgraded to more secure locks to help prevent future break ins.
If you have had a break in or would like to upgrade you locks to help prevent a break in then contact Access Locksmith Solutions Ltd today – 07737 320 547