What to Do Immediately After A Home Burglary
Victims of a home burglary will tell you how much it affects their piece of mind. It is a jarring experience that makes you question the safety and security of your family and belongings. While the terrible ordeal may leave you counting loses, your actions from here on determine how things play out immediately after you realize you have been robbed. The following steps will help you stay safe, recuperate from the ordeal, and restore the security of your home.
Contact the authorities
It is not unusual to freeze in your tracks the second you realize you have been robbed. However, as a home owner, it is critical that you alert the authorities immediately. The police have a reliable emergency response time. If lucky, they can even apprehend the burglars if they hadn’t escaped yet. For your safety, it is imperative that you find a safe place to make the 911 call, preferably outside the house. For all you know, the burglars could have run into hiding the second they heard you pulling into your house. It is best to avoid any alteration with burglars, especially if they are armed.
Determine what’s missing then call your home insurance agent
Once the police arrive, proceed into the house and make a quick assessment of what is missing. The most common items stolen in a home burglary are, but not limited to, jewelry, cash, electronics, guns, prescription medication, computers, laptops, and identity documents. After an assessment of what is stolen, call your home insurance and articulate the entire situation down to the letter. Also inform your insurance agent of your plans to seek locksmith services and find out whether they will finance the lock repairs.
Assess your security protocols
The fact that your home was broken into is reason enough to warrant a quick assessment of your security protocols. This includes checking the front and back door locks, the garage door, the state of the alarm system as well as any home surveillance cameras you have installed. Any information you could get from your security protocols could aid the authorities gain insight of how things transpired. It also gives you insight of which security measures need replacing and which need reinforcement. It is critical that you do a thorough job as research shows that burglars target the same home a couple weeks after they have robbed it.
Call emergency locksmiths
However terrible the ordeal, life moves on. You’ll have to leave for work or school the next day. You therefore need to call a locksmith in Tucson to assess all your exterior doors, install new locks, and reinforce any weak hinges or compromised garage doors. Locksmiths offer emergency services and can make their way to your home even if it’s late into the night. You may have to finance the installation of better front door locks such as deadbolts, and later file a refund claim from your home insurance, if they cover such expenses.
For those who have been victims of home burglary, the above measures should restore your confidence in your home’s safety and make your property even more secure than it was before. And even if you haven’t been through such a scenario, some of the tips provided here could help ensure that you never have to.
