A home break-in is a life-changing experience. Your home is supposed to be your safe haven. But when someone illegally enters your home, it can have a lasting impact on your sense of safety and well-being.
From property damage to stolen items to the endangerment of pets and house occupants, there’s no telling what a criminal can do once they successfully infiltrate your property. Nobody anticipates their home being burglarized. But it’s important to know what to do if it ever occurs. Here’s how to file a police report for stolen property after a home break-in.
Make Sure You are Safe, then Immediately Contact the Police
Here’s an eye-opening statistic: only 13% of burglaries are solved by the police. The numbers are already not on your side, so what you do following your discovery of the break-in is paramount.
The first thing you must always do is ensure the area is safe. If the burglar or burglars are still on-site, your first instinct may be to confront them. However, there’s no telling how many are inside, if they have any weapons, and how they will respond to being seen.
Your best move is to wait outside, then immediately contact the police. You can use a cell phone to try and capture videos or take photos if you spot intruders. But you should keep your distance, for the sake of your and your family’s safety. Only enter the home once the police arrive and indicated that it’s safe to enter.
Determine What was Stolen and Provide Precise Details to the Police
It may be difficult to go through your home after experiencing a break-in. But your cooperation is key to finding your stolen items. You need to provide a detailed list to authorities containing key features of your stolen items. These include:
- Type of item
- Color
- Attributes (size, shape, model, etc.)
- Any unique features (i.e. signatures, markings, etc.)
Note: Something you can do right now is take photos of any valuable items or precious heirlooms you have in your home. If they are ever stolen, you have a clear depiction of what authorities need to find and also provide proof those items belong to you. Police can also share these photos with local pawn shop owners, so they know to flag these items if they come into their store. It’s also a good idea to keep receipts of larger purchases, such as TVs, furniture, etc. Receipts are photos are also helpful for the insurance company when evaluating the damages.
After taking with the authorities, you want to get an official police report of the break-in. Review the details to ensure everything is correct and they have all the items that were stolen listed. It’s also helpful to follow up with the police afterward to see if they have any leads or if they found any stolen property.
How to Prevent a Home Break-In
The most effective way to prevent a home burglary is with an integrated home security system. Products like smart locks ensure you never leave your door unlocked at night or away. You can quickly and conveniently lock your doors anywhere and at any time through your smartphone or other IoT device.
Likewise, surveillance cameras give you round-the-clock coverage of your home. Not to mention, just the sight of a surveillance system will deter most burglars from targeting your home.
Your property is worth protecting. That why is why you should partner with the security experts at ADS Security, where we can provide 24/7/365 monitoring and can immediately report any suspicious activity to authorities if it were to occur. If you want to learn more, feel free to contact us today.
