How To Deal With A Break-In
A break-in can be devastating. Not only might have you lost valuable or emotionally significant possessions, but it can also leave a lasting sense of worry as well as causing considerable emotional distress.
The immediate aftermath of a break-in can be particularly hard to deal with. It is only natural that this might be quite hard for you to deal with, and nobody would blame you for being considerably distressed by the situation.
There are a number of steps that you should follow immediately after finding out about the break-in, as well as a number of steps that you should take to ensure you take care of your mental wellbeing following on from something that is going to be very traumatic and stressful.
Dealing With The Aftermath Of A Break-In
The first thing that you need to do upon discovering that you have been broken-into is to call the police and report the crime. The sooner you can do this, the better. If police are allowed access to your property as early as possible, they may be able to obtain valuable evidence and solve the crime and prevent further similar break-ins in your area.
Once you have got in touch with the police, make sure that you are not alone. This is going to be a challenging time and you should try and find support from a friend or family member.
Don’t touch anything in your home or garage. The area will be a crime scene and the police will want to look for evidence. You may want to take some general photos of the scene that you can use for insurance purposes.
Following a visit from the police, you should contact your insurance company and start the process of raising a claim with them. They will want information such as crime reference numbers.
Improving The Security Of Your Property
After a break-in, you should get your locks repaired and call a garage door repair company if the break-in was to a garage. Ensure your property is secured as quickly as possible. Think about having additional features such as deadlocks applied to doors.
If you do not have any security around your property, such as video cameras or burglar alarms, these can often act as a good deterrent and may prevent future attempts at breaking-in.
How To Cope With The Emotions Attached With Being Broken-into
One of the hardest things about a break-in is coming to terms with the emotional difficulties that it throws up. It is not uncommon for people to say that they feel unsafe in their own homes following on from a break-in.
In order to deal with these complex feelings, you should talk about them. Speak with the police officers that handled the case and see if there are any support groups for victims of crime. You may also want to think about having specific one-to-one counseling surrounding the subject if you feel as though you are struggling to come to terms with it.
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