Burglaries are the property crime that most homeowners worry about, and they are also the most common type of property crime. A burglary is incredibly traumatic for the victims and can also be frightening for the neighbourhoods that experience burglaries. If a burglary occurs in your neighbourhood, it could be challenging to know what to do next, and we will discuss some of the steps you can take afterwards.

Lend a helping hand to the neighbours

After a burglary, your neighbours will likely be afraid and upset as their property may be damaged, and criminals may violate their sense of security. Therefore, the best way to assist your neighbours through this challenging time is by reminding them they are not alone in recovery. There are things you can do to assist during the process, such as:

• Helping them with cleaning up and repairing any damages.
• If there was a lot of damage on their property, you could consider hosting a neighbourhood fundraiser and donating the funds raised to that family, as this will assist them in paying for home repairs and replacements.
• If necessary, you can consider welcoming them into your home and letting them stay until their home is repaired or until they feel more at ease.
• You should keep in contact with your neighbours as sometimes the best thing you can do is to remind them that you will be there for them, whatever their needs.
• Consider forming a neighbourhood watch program, as this will assist in keeping your homes safe; you should look out for suspicious activity and check in your neighbour’s homes when they are on vacation.

Review your footage

Contact the people in your neighbourhood to see if there is footage of suspicious activity that occurred during the burglary. With outdoor wireless cameras becoming more popular, your neighbours may likely have some outdoor security device to review their footage. Suppose you have your outdoor security cameras or wireless video doorbell. In that case, you can check your previous footage to see if there was anyone around your home that you do not recognise. The footage captured would assist in identifying the person and be familiar with their face if another burglary were to occur in your neighbourhood.

Speak to your family

After releasing the news of the burglary, you must discuss the incident with your family. If you have children, speak to them and find out how they react to the burglary. They may have some concerns, and they might have some fears about the burglary happening to your own home. After a burglary, it is an excellent time to re-evaluate your home security. You should take this time to remind your children about the safety basics, such as never opening the door to strangers. Through these discussions, you can speak to your family about how they can have better peace of mind and rebuild a sense of security. By having these conversations, you can create an emergency plan of what you will do if a burglary occurs in your home. This is the perfect time to implement more safety measures throughout your home.

Update your home security

After a burglary occurs in your neighbourhood, you must think about the home security measures that you have in place in your own home, as well as implement some preventative measures. Various devices available on the market will help improve your home’s security and peace of mind, such as wireless video doorbells, window sensors and smart locks.

If you already have outdoor wireless cameras or video doorbells, evaluate the cameras that you have. During the evaluation, ensure that all your settings are where they should be and that you update the app and firmware to ensure everything is functioning correctly.

Whenever burglars target homes in a neighbourhood, they typically return within a few weeks; therefore, keeping your home safe during the first few months of a burglary is essential. Some of the measures that you can implement to ensure that your home is well-protected include the following:

• Make sure that keys are always kept in a safe space and refrain from placing keys under the mat or a plant, as this is usually where burglars will look first.
• Do an audit of all the locks you have and replace any locks that are damaged or those that do not work.
• Keep your yard maintained at all times and remove any personal belongings, newspapers or toys on the property to make the home look more maintained.
• Ensure that all doors, garage, and side doors are locked.
• Consider investing in smart lighting as they allow you to switch them on or off remotely, which makes it look like there is someone at home even when you are on vacation.

Conclusion

A burglary in a neighbourhood can be terrifying, but you should not allow that fear to consume your community. You must support your neighbours, ensure that your family knows the basics of safety and install home security measures as this will also allow you to protect your home.