Even when you do the best you can in the home security department, the unfortunate reality is that no home is complete immune to crime. Perhaps you have come home to find a window smashed, or your front door is hanging wide open when you’re sure you locked it before you left. Such circumstances are frightening and distressing. Whether your natural reaction is fear or anger, you’ll probably feel like making a move immediately. Still, it’s important to be making the right moves to avoid putting your family in more danger. Here is how to deal with a home security crisis:

1) Assess immediate danger. If you’re not sure if there is a burglar inside your home, but have reason to believe that someone has broken in, do not enter your home for any reason. You might feel like scaring them away or coming at them in anger, but you do not know if they are armed. Brazen thieves may be waiting inside, and you might add physical injury to your list of problems. Even if it looks like someone ransacked your home and left, they could still be hiding inside.

2) Move in a group. Regardless of the assessed danger level, always move together, rather than splitting up. Though you might be more likely to be spotted by a criminal if there are several of you rather than one person, there is safety in numbers and you’re less likely to be involved in a violent confrontation with a burglar if there are other people with you. If any family member is carrying pepper spray, a stun gun, or any other self defense device, now is the time to get ready to use it.

3) Go to a safe spot. Leave the immediate area if the criminal may still be there. You don’t want them to spot you on their way out. Go to a neighbor’s house, or get back in your car, lock the doors, and drive down the street. Though you may feel like you need to stay close to keep an eye on what’s going on, it’s far more important to get your family out of harm’s way. Then, call 911 from your safe spot. Do not do anything until you’re sure your family is not in immediate danger.

4) Get police to your home. Once you know it’s safe to do so, call 911 to request police assistance. Even if you’re sure that the burglars are long gone, the police can take down a report and start their investigation. The quicker the police get to your home, the faster they can start looking for getaway cars and contacting pawn shops and other likely recipients of stolen goods.

5) Begin the damage assessment. Once police have cleared you to return to your home, start assessing the damages and compiling a list of stolen belongings. This list is important both for the police and for your homeowners or renter’s insurance. If you have surveillance cameras, get the footage right away, especially if your system routinely tapes over old data.

Returning home to a home security threat is certainly a scary situation, no matter the circumstances. If you find yourself in such a crisis, the most important rule is to avoid an altercation with any criminal who may still be inside, and to maintain a safe distance until after the police have arrived.

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Category: Home Management
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