The aftermath of a burglary is complex. There are a number of things that need to be done, from the immediate matter of making sure that your home is secure, to the long term issue of ensuring that you can deal with the burglary’s emotional effects.

There are three things you must do immediately. The very first thing is to call the police. The second is to call someone over you know who isn’t a victim of the burglary; they can provide the emotional support and objective perspective that you’ll need. The third is to cancel your debit and credit cards, as the criminals may have taken the details from your cards or an electronic device even if neither were stolen.

Your debit and credit cards aren’t the only items that you need to consider. An item such as a passport is obviously something you don’t want in the hands of criminals, and things like your driving license could be a nightmare to lose. Victim Support has a helpful list detailing what to do about a variety of items that may need attention.

When the police arrive, one of the things that they make ask you for is an itinerary list. This is something that you will need to do for your insurer at a later point. It’s important, then, to make sure that the police itinerary is complete so that it’s consistent with the insurance itinerary.

You will also be asked whether you’d like to speak to Victim Support. It’s probably a good idea, considering that the Government’s Nature of Burglary statistics indicate that an enormous 87% of burglary victims were emotionally affected by the burglaries.

Depending on the nature of the entry, you may need to resecure your home. Check with the police or use your common sense as to whether this can be done without interrupting the work of the forensics team.

Calling your insurer should be done within 24 hours of the burglary. You’ll be asked to provide your insurer with a list of the stolen items, so make sure that it’s comprehensive and includes receipts, copies of bank statements and even photographs of the items in your home as proof of purchases.

It’s important to consider where your home security might have let you down, and how you could improve it in future.

This advice should set you in good stead for dealing with the effects of the burglary on both material and emotional levels. It is complex to deal with a burglary but, by making sure you do it right, you can make it easier for yourself and, possibly, make yourself safer for the future.