Burglaries rob you of more than your valuables. The psychological toll runs the full spectrum of emotions from feeling guilty about not taking enough precautions to feeling anger, mistrust and fear.

Those with depression, anxiety and insomnia could have worsened symptoms after a burglary. Because of that, Star Locksmith Philadelphia has decided to show you how to properly respond to a burglary.

Active Measures

A burglary means that you need to improve active measures of security on the premises to discourage further criminal behavior. Still, you should never blame yourself. They came onto your property, not the other way around.

When someone breaks into your home, they have violated one of the most sacred spaces to a human. Taking proper actions to improve security will discourage future burglaries because burglars often return to a property that they feel too comfortable with.

What to Do After a Break-in

First, you need to dial up the police. The police report provides written evidence to file a claim with your insurance company of any losses. If you have even a slight suspicion that the burglar is still on the property, have the police check it over to provide the all-clear. Never go inside a home if you suspect the burglar still lurks within.

Assessing the Damage

Once the police have cleared the property of any intruders, you will need to assess the damage and items stolen. In many cases, burglars do vandalism and steal on the premises. Write down a list of the active measures items stolen and damaged from the property for when you file a claim with your insurance company.

To file a claim, call your insurance agent and provide them with the documentation. Maintain a copy of your own of all the receipts and written records. Don’t wait to file a claim.

The Clean Up

Burglaries can cause damage to the property, ranging from shattered windows to splintered door frames to smashed valuables inside the home. Take pictures and keep a close record of everything before the clean up to provide proof if requested.

In some cases, burglars will steal your financial information. That requires immediate action with your bank. Call them up and request new checks, credit cards and debit cards that the burglar may have stolen.

You want to change this before the burglar has the opportunity to break into your bank account. After a burglary, swift action minimizes damage.

Protect Your Property

After a burglar feels comfortable with your property, they might re-enter at a later date. You need to speak with a locksmith who can upgrade the security on your property.

The more difficult the burglar’s life stealing from you, the better for you. Once your home has had one break-in, you can reinforce that part of the home to stop the burglar from breaking in the same way. Our locksmith experts might recommend other security improvements, such as:

  • Motion sensor cameras
  • Active Measures
  • Surveillance cameras
  • An alarm system
  • Upgraded locks

Taking a few precautionary measures can stop burglars from putting your home in the crosshairs. Most burglars target homes that they can break into easily.

They strike with speed and leave just as fast. The average burglary only lasts from 90 seconds to 12 minutes. Burglars want the biggest reward for the lowest risk. If you want to deter burglars, you might get a big dog to guard the premises. Dogs can sense a burglar long before you detect the threat.

Important to note: Most burglars have no qualms about robbing a home with a small dog. You need a big and threatening dog to stave off the risk of a burglary. Still, most burglars active measures say they remove a targeted home if they see it has a dog. Burglars don’t want to get caught or bitten.

Understanding Burglaries

Most burglaries happen during the middle of the day with the homeowners at work with an estimated 68 percent happening during the day. Few burglars will hit a home at night.

Only 32 percent of burglars will steal from a home at night. Most people are home during the night hours, and burglars want to steal with as little risk as possible.

Don’t Leave Valuables in Plain Sight

Before a burglar enters the property, they will first case the property to determine if it will be worth the risk. They look for the most obvious valuables.

That means if they see your diamond jewelry in plain view from the window, they might break a window, steal the diamonds and run. Keep your valuables out of sight even inside the home.

You don’t want to look like a valuable target. Roll your expensive grill back into the garage when finished using it. Leaving it out will make it a target for thieves. They might wonder about the other valuables that they can steal inside the home.

Especially if your grill comes installed with wheels, thieves will find it a dream to roll it back to their vehicle and race off. Even on basement windows and garage windows, you should put up curtains to keep burglars from looking into the property.

Local Locksmith In Philadelphia

At Star Locksmith Philadelphia, we can assess your property to determine the weak points that a burglar could exploit. Our evaluation will expose security flaws before the wrong person can use them to their advantage.

We can make recommendations for security and locks that will hold up against an intruder. Star Locksmith Philadelphia takes a proactive approach to security, which means that we don’t wait for expensive problems. We take action! If you’d like to have a security evaluation of your home completed, call us today.

Expert Locksmith Tips from Experienced Locksmiths

At Star Locksmith Philadelphia, we have seen our share of things over the years as expert locksmith. Through those experiences, we can help you to protect your property better.

We have compiled this list of useful tips to help you raise your security in the home to have peace of mind.