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It’s every family’s nightmare. You pull up the driveway and find your door has been forced open or a window smashed. You can barely process what’s happened, worrying about what’s been stolen and the damage to your house. What should you do? Remain calm, take a deep breath, and follow these tips after a break-in at your Dover home.  

When things calm down, see how to better prevent intrusions with a modern security system.

Initial Steps After A Burglary

Discovering your house has been burglarized is unsettling. You might be frightened, upset, or just in shock. Regardless, it’s important to stay level-headed by doing the following: 

• Do not enter. It could be tempting to rush inside to look around. Don’t. There’s a possibility an intruder is still there.
• Call law enforcement immediately.  Keep yourself and loved ones at a safe spot nearby and wait until help arrives. Work with law enforcement to file a report. 
• Leave everything as is. Let officers take charge and collect evidence.  

What Do You Do Next?

You’ve made an official report with the police, and your home is safe to re-enter. What should you do next? 

• Notify your bank and credit card companies . If a burglar snagged wallets, purses, or personal records, you’ll wish to contact your credit card issuers and banks at once. It’s wise to put a hold on accounts and your credit. You can also add a fraud alert with credit bureaus.
• Reach out to your insurance company. Initiate a claim with your insurance company. You should do so within 24 hours of the incident. 
• Take photos of the damage. Document broken windows, kicked-in doors, and any other damage you find.
• Document what was taken. Create a record of what’s gone and provide it to the authorities and your Insurer.
• Secure your home. Restore your home’s security by installing new locks, fixing doors and windows, and taking care of other damage. If you utilize a keypad lock system, now is the time to reset your access codes.

Getting your home back in order will bring you some peace and get life back to normal. After you’re done, it’s time to think about upgrading your home security.

Evaluate And Upgrade The Security At Your Dover Home

What should you do to prevent another break-in from taking place? Your starting point should be to assess your home’s security. An advanced system with these tools will go a long way to keeping your home safe: 

• Video cameras: Almost all trespassers will reconsider their plans when they observe security cameras. Modern outdoor and doorbell cameras give you advanced capabilities like AI-driven smart detection. Any time there’s unusual activity, you’ll receive an alert. 
• Entry-point sensors: All doors and windows (particularly those on the ground level) should be protected by glass-break or contact sensors.
• Smart lights and locks: These automated devices can be managed remotely. Are you worried you neglected to lock up? You can check and engage the lock from your phone. You can even have interior lighting turn on if a camera discovers suspicious activity.

If you are searching for a connected system that alerts you and monitoring staff any time a camera or sensor is tripped, consider a package from the home security leaders at ADT. You’ll benefit from smartphone access, 24/7 monitoring, and advanced automation.

Avoid Break-Ins With The Best Home Security In Dover

Stop burglaries from happening with an ADT home security system in Dover from Secure24 Alarm Systems. As an authorized ADT dealer, we install modern equipment from the top name in the business. Discover your options by reaching out to (302) 238-1722 or submitting our form today.