Having your home broken into is probably one of the most stressful life experiences you can have. As well as dealing with the feeling of violation that comes from having a stranger enter your home without permission, you also have to deal with the hassle of securing your home and reporting the crime.

Here are five steps you can follow to be sure you have done everything you need to after someone breaks into your home.

1. Call the Police Right Away

The first thing you should do when you experience a break-in is to call the police. You need to file a police report so they can investigate the crime. Your home insurance provider will require this report when you file a claim for your stolen possessions.

Out of the 225,900 burglaries that occurred in Australia in 2017, only 75% of victims reported the incident to the police. The other 25% did not want to bother the police with a trivial issue or thought that the police could not do anything. These people put themselves of risk of not being able to claim on their home insurance because they did not report.

2. Try Not to Touch Anything

Your instinct might be to tidy your home right away, but remember that it is the scene of a crime. Do not clear up broken glass or touch any of your possessions until the police have visited to investigate the break-in. If you can leave the crime scene untouched, the police will be better able to collect forensic evidence, such as stray hairs or fingerprints.

3. Consider Who Could Be to Blame

Think back over the few days before the break-in. Do you remember seeing or hearing anything suspicious? Perhaps you gave a key to a contractor or a friend. Or maybe you lost a set of keys that a thief could have found and used to access your home. Any information you can give to the police will help them to investigate the break-in.

4. Find Your Belongings

After a burglary, you might think that your belongings are gone for good. However, you might still be able to trace some of your items. If you have tracking services on your electronic devices, use them to find out whether your devices have been switched on since they were taken. If possible, remotely disable the devices to protect your personal information.

If the thief stole distinctive items of furniture or jewellery, you might be able to find them for sale in local pawnshops, antique stores or second-hand shops. You could even look online to see if you can locate your lost items.

5. Secure Your Home

One of the most important things you need to do after your home is broken into is to take steps to secure the property. Burglars often return to the same property a second time to steal replaced items.

If you suspect the burglar might have a key to your home, get a locksmith to change the locks. After any break-in, you might want to consider upgrading your locks or adding an extra deadbolt to provide extra security for your home.

Adelaide Home Security Locksmiths have many years of experience of securing homes in Metropolitan and southern Adelaide. We can draw on this experience to recommend suitable locks to all our residential customers. We are available 24/7, so be sure to get in touch with us today to find out how we can help you prevent another break-in. We are also always happy to answer any and all of your questions or concerns about your home security needs.