Feeling Safer After a Burglary: Tips for Worried Mums

Feeling Safer After a Burglary: Tips for Worried Mums

Few things in life leave mums more unsettled than being victimised by a burglary. It isn’t always about their possessions, but sometimes they factor in a bit. It’s usually about the kids. Random thoughts keep running through their brains non-stop. What would have happened if we had been at home when the burglar broke in? Would they have hurt me and the kids? What if dad had been home from work and tried to stop the burglar?

All these thoughts keep playing over and over and over again until you have yourself worked up in a state of frenzy. Well, the good news is that you weren’t at home and no one was hurt. The better news is that now you know how they got in and what they were looking for, so you can take action to prevent another situation like this. These tips for feeling safer after a burglary are just what you need about now!

• Immediately Call the Police

If you arrive home and notice that a door or window has been pried open or broken into, don’t go in the home to look around. That could be the worst mistake you can make after a burglary. Call the police from your mobile phone or a neighbour’s home and let law enforcement enter your home first. Although chances are the burglar has long gone, you never know. If you want to feel safer, especially in those initial moments, start with a call to the police.

• Repair the Entry Point NOW

After the police have done a thorough walk-through of your home and have ascertained that the thieves are gone, they will probably ask you if you notice anything of value missing. They may ask if you know of anyone who would want to steal from you and other questions they are required to ask when responding to a home burglary.

Once they’ve gone, get on that phone immediately to get the entry point repaired before doing anything else. Do a search for a “handyman near me” on sites like mybuilder.com. Find one who can come out the same day to make those repairs. While they are there, you might want to discuss what kinds of jobs they can do to help you make a few more repairs to ensure your home is safe going forward. In fact, your handyman might be able to help you assess areas of concern. After you’ve been burglarised, be assured you will find other areas you want to make more secure.

• Common Areas You Should Address

There are times when a homeowner hasn’t done a thorough assessment of items that are missing. This can be dangerous because you might miss that spare set of keys you had left hanging on the key hooks just inside the door. Even so, do you know how easy it is for ‘professional’ burglars to make impressions of keys from the locks you have on the door? There are even YouTube videos teaching you how to do just that! Sometimes your handyman has accounts where they can get new locking door knobs, dead bolts and other types of locks you will want to replace. It may not be necessary to call in a locksmith just yet.

Also, check all first story windows and doors to make sure the frames are solid and not in ill repair. Any doors that show wear and tear should be replaced as well. Any cracked windows should be replaced, and while you are at it, have window security installed at the same time.

• Invest in Hi-Tech Home Security

The right home security system might have alerted you that a burglary was in place. You are looking for one that is Wi-Fi enabled and connected to your mobile phone. It will immediately send an alarm notification to your phone and at that point you can call the police even before you start back home. By the time you reach your property, the police have been on scene and many times catch the burglars in the process of robbing your home.

You can find really good home security systems online or you can buy them from a home security service in your area. Either way, most are easily installed and again, it’s something your handyman might be able to install for you. You would need to download and run the appropriate app once the security cameras and motion detectors are secured, but that isn’t difficult either. Just remember to do a test run so that you know you have everything installed just right.

• A Few Last Details

There are a few other things  you will want to do and that would start with ensuring that you have all your credit and bank cards. If you’ve left one or more on your home office desk, those are easily picked up during the burglary.

Any missing cards should be frozen and reissued immediately. If you have any doubts as to whether they got your banking info, stop all cheques after the last one you wrote and have your bank issue a new account number that very same day. Won’t you feel safer now in knowing your home is virtually impenetrable and that all your financial information is safe?

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