What happens after a burglary?
What happens after a burglary?
Having a burglary at your property, business or your own home is very distressing. Gone are the things you have worked hard for and the emotional impact can leave you feeling quite shell-shocked and numb. We are going to discuss here, what steps to take after a break-in.
Preserve evidence
Do not just rush in to view the carnage, take a moment and call the police. Follow their advice regarding the need to preserve evidence. Take care when entering the premises, as often there is broken items and it is easy to cut yourself. Do not ‘tidy up’ until the police have been and collected any evidence they need to. Remember you can always update the police with an inventory of missing goods later.
Tidy up
Clearing the aftermath away can be a painful process. It does allow you to itemise missing things, and make your home or business ‘yours’ again. Take photographs of any broken items or evidence e.g. that alarms were on, that you may need for an insurance claim. You will now need to secure the building again, so you may need to call emergency glaziers and locksmiths to help with this. If important documents have been stolen, then banks or relevant authorities may need to be informed.
Emotions
Take time for yourself and your colleagues, or loved ones. Children and the elderly often feel quite vulnerable afterwards. Not all goods taken are valuable, often it is the sentimental objects that hurt the most, as they are irreplaceable. If you are finding it hard to come to terms with, then Victim Support and other such agencies may be able to help.
Security
If you know the entry point used by the burglars, then improving the security around that will deter a return. This is also an appropriate time to review and possibly upgrade your security systems, as burglars know that in a few months, you will have replaced a lot of the stolen items with new ones, they can return. So, make sure that the weak spots have been strengthened. When you make your insurance claim, let them know what additional steps you have taken to ensure the security of the building. If you need a security survey after a burglary, then please contact us for a site visit and quote.