Coming home to find that your home has been broken into is a traumatic experience. Quite apart from finding your treasured possessions missing, it’s an invasion of your personal space. Your safe haven has been violated, leaving you in a state of shock and outrage.
Unfortunately, having your home broken into is an experience many homeowners and tenants in South Africa experience at some stage. Even with security measures in place, there is still the chance of becoming a victim of a home burglary.
Once you have experienced such a crime, it may take you some time to recover your possessions and your emotional equilibrium. However, there are some steps you can take to get your life back to normal as soon as possible.
Procedures
An instinctive reaction is to run from one room to the next, looking for the intruders or trying to clean up the mess they have left behind. That is the very opposite of what you should do. It is best to leave everything just as you find it. Don’t touch anything and call the police or your home security company.
It’s also safest to get out of your home and wait until the police or security firm arrives. This will protect you in the event of the intruders still being on the premises. It will also preserve fingerprints and other evidence that could be used to apprehend the criminals.
While waiting for the police to arrive, talk to your neighbours and find out if they have seen or heard anything that will help find the burglars. It will also alert them that there are criminals in the area, encouraging them to be vigilant and keep an eye out for suspicious people in the area.
If your household contents are insured, you must notify your insurer of the burglary and follow the necessary steps to claim compensation. It’s a good idea to have photos on record of items like jewellery, cameras, electronic devices, artworks and any other valuables, which may help police to identify the stolen items.
Emotional recovery
Once you have done all you can to recover your possessions, you need to find ways to mitigate the psychological effects of the violation of your personal space.
It usually helps for the whole family to talk about the incident to friends and family or even a professional trauma counsellor. Many police stations provide this service, with experienced counsellors on hand to help community members overcome these types of situations.
It may also help to take a good look at your home security features and see where they can be upgraded to prevent similar incidents in future.
Some security upgrades that may help you feel a lot safer include:
- Upgrading the locks on all doors.
- Ensuring that burglar bars on windows actually are proof against forced entry.
- Installing electric fencing.
- Installing outdoor security lighting.
- Investing in an electronic home security system or upgrading your existing system.
In future, when you are away from home for any length of time, be sure to inform your neighbours and be prepared to reciprocate when they go on holiday.
Writer: Sarah-Jane Meyer