It is hard to be a victim of burglary. Harder still to have a clear enough mind to work out what to do next. There is a lot to think about and organize, from the police and the insurance down to protecting the home to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
To help you get your mind around the matter and concentrate on the important things, we have made a checklist; The Burglary Checklist. This list will help you to do all you need to accomplish after you’ve been burgled.
Step 1. Call the Police
There are a few reasons to call the police.
Firstly, if there is a burglary in progress at your home, they are the people with the training to deal with the situation safely.
Secondly, most insurance companies require a police report in this situation.
And finally, letting the police know will also alert them to the dangers of burglary in the area. This will make them better prepared to respond to any other local burglaries with the same MO giving them valuable clues to help them catch the person or persons behind it.
If the burglary isn’t ongoing at the time of realizing you are a victim of crime call your local non-emergency number for the police. In Miami, the number for the non-emergency burglary department is (305) 603-6030.
Step 2. Take Photos of the Burglary
These will help support your home insurance claim. It will also keep you occupied while you wait for the police. Quite often, after a burglary, you can get the urge to clean the home. But in doing so, you will be removing all the evidence of the burglary. Always, wait until after the police have been to put your home back to rights.
Take photos of:
- Broken windows, doors, or locks.
- Areas of the home where things have been disturbed (for example a cupboard where you kept valuables).
- Empty spaces where stolen items once stood. (The TV stand for example).
It is important to get the photos in before you cause too much disturbance to the scene.
Step 3. Cancel Stolen Cards
If you had cards in the home that are now missing, get in touch with the companies and cancel them. Do the same for cards you cannot find, they may still be in the house somewhere but it can save you a lot of time and stress by simply cancelling them. It is a simple thing to get a new card, not such a simple thing to recover lost funds.
On a similar note, if you had a phone in the house that is missing contact the phone company to cancel that too. You may also need to change any passwords to online companies if you had them stored on your phone or laptop.
Step 4. Take Steps to Secure your Home
Contact your locksmith services to secure your home. You can arrange to replace all the locks yourself, but for a job done efficiently and quickly in a way that will allow you to focus on other things a trusted locksmith is the way to go.
A locksmith service can replace locks, fix locks, or rekey locks. They will also secure your home to keep it safe until necessary repairs can be made, board up a broken window for example.
Step 5. Take Stock of the Burglary
You will have started to do this while taking photographs. Now it is time to get the information on paper. Write down everything that you know is missing and begin compiling evidence for the insurance companies.
Take a TV for example. Evidence of the tv missing would be the photo showing the space it once stood, receipts of purchase, a tv warranty, and recent photos where you can see the tv in the picture. Also, if you have had something valued, the valuation can help serve as evidence.
Step 6. Inform Your Insurance about the Burglary
By now you will have a reference number from the police along with evidence of the situation. Your locksmith will be securing your home and you will know where you stand with what has been taken and what hasn’t. It is time to let your insurance know what is happening.
Top Burglary Guide Tip
Look at locksmiths before an issue arises. Getting to know your local locksmiths can take a lot of stress out of the situation. A dedicated locksmith can make the whole situation run smoother.
Having a dedicated locksmith may sound like something only businesses need, however, consider the benefits.
- You already have a locksmith you can trust in an emergency and do not need to face the stress of researching and hiring a stranger to fix your locks.
- Your locksmith may already know your home and security needs.
- Your locksmith is a simple phone call away.
Having all your locksmith preparation done before there is an incident can go a long way to reducing your stress in the event of an emergency.
A Trusted Locksmith in Miami
At Quickly Locksmith in Miami, we have a team of experts available to help you with your commercial and residential security issues 24/7. From rekeying your locks to installing Access Control Systems, all the work we complete for you is fully warranted for a minimum of 12 months. Call us at (305) 984-9922 or contact us through our contact us page to find out how we can provide you with the best locksmith services.
