You come home, the door is broken open, and your belongings have been rifled through, harshly. There's the sense of terrible violation, the feeling that whoever did this could come back at any time, and the trauma of a shattered home awaits, along with picking up the pieces and cleaning up the mess.



What to do next?

First, call the police; don't even straighten up; by doing so you may disturb evidence that makes it difficult or impossible to catch the people who did this. (Sadly, the catch and incarceration rates for home burglars aren't terribly high, but there's no reason to make them zero). Don't rush to the police station - stay home and call them without touching anything. They will want to take photos, make sure nobody was hurt, and take fingerprints.

After the initial inspection, the police will need some form of identification; they will want to identify the approximate time of entry (if possible) the method of entry and survey the damage. This will be compiled into a report, and you will be asked to sign it at the time it's filled out. Read it carefully; it's the first document in the chain needed to get insurance coverage and remediation for your losses.

Very important: At some point in the process, the officers are going to ask for a list of what has been stolen or destroyed. Be sure to give them a list, but make sure it's annotated that you are not certain that it is complete; in the chaos and trauma of burglary, you will overlook things, and you will be finding that things were missed on that original inventory for days or weeks.

Next, make sure you can account for any kind of credit card or cheque book that might have been stolen, and inform the credit card companies, cancel the cards and report them stolen immediately. Likewise, look for things like passports and identification information, the registration papers for your cars - things that are NOT going to be obvious, but can cause you difficulties if misused.

That loss list is important for when the other difficult aspect of a burglary pops up: Dealing with the claims adjuster. Never forget the adjuster is working for the insurance company, while the loss adjuster may be friendly and convivial, his job is to reduce the expenses to his employer. He will make suggestions for replacing destroyed or stolen items; he will be looking for excuses to not pay you at all - perhaps you were under insured, didn't have the proscribed locks, or more. Before dealing with a loss adjuster, seriously consider getting an insurance claims consultant on your side. You will want someone who knows the ins and outs of insurance regulations looking over the report of what was stolen, what the initial claim was, and how to make things work in your favour.

Lastly, be sure to do things to prevent thefts in the first place; lock your doors, shut the shutters, and remember thieves are opportunists. They go where the valuables are easiest to get at. If it costs more than £150, keep the receipt (preferably in a safety deposit box) and the serial number. This makes it more difficult to fence. If you have small items of valuables (collectibles, jewellery, antiques), take digital pictures, put hard copies in that safe deposit box and make sure the photos are date stamped.