What To Do in the First 60 Minutes After a Burglary

The first hour after discovering a burglary is the hardest. You're shaken, your home feels violated, and you're being asked to make decisions about police, insurance, security and the children all at once. Here's the order that protects your safety, your evidence and your insurance claim.

First five minutes: don't enter alone if there's any chance the burglar is still inside. Stand outside, listen, look at upstairs windows. If anything seems wrong, leave the property, call 999 and wait for police. Most UK burglaries are over before the homeowner returns — but 'most' isn't 'all'.

Once you're sure the property is empty, call the police on 101 (or 999 if the burglary just happened or you suspect the burglars are nearby). You'll need a crime reference number for your insurance claim; the police will dispatch officers to assess scene-of-crime needs (fingerprints, DNA swabs) which is why step three matters.

Don't touch anything. We know this is hard — your instinct is to tidy, lock up, secure the property. Wait until police have given you the all-clear on forensics. They'll usually do this within 1–2 hours; once they've confirmed they don't need to dust for prints, you can start the security and clean-up work.

Call your home insurance emergency line. Almost every UK home policy covers emergency boarding-up, lock replacement and a security make-safe attendance — but only if you notify them within a stated window (often 24 hours). The insurer will give you a claim reference and tell you whether you can use any locksmith or must use an approved supplier.

Call a locksmith for emergency make-safe. Boarding up smashed glazing, replacing the forced lock, securing the door frame — this is what 'make safe' covers. A reputable locksmith will quote a fixed price, attend in 30–60 minutes, and provide a written invoice and photo report that your insurer will accept.

Photograph everything before any repair work starts. Wide shots, mid shots, close-ups of damage, broken locks, jemmy marks, missing items. Time-stamped phone photos are admissible evidence and bulletproof for insurance. Take twice as many as you think you need.

Make a list of what's missing. Even a rough first list helps the police and insurer. Common targets: jewellery, watches, cash, electronics, car keys (which is why you should immediately check whether your car is still where you left it — burglars often steal keys specifically to take vehicles parked on the drive).

Within 24 hours: contact your bank if cards/cheques were stolen. Change online passwords if devices were taken. Submit a full insurance claim with photos, the police reference number, the make-safe invoice and an itemised list of stolen property with values. Insurers expect supporting documentation (purchase receipts, photographs of valuables) — if you don't have these, a credit-card statement showing the original purchase often suffices.

Within a week: have a locksmith carry out a full security review. Burglars often return — sometimes to the same house, more often to a neighbour. An honest locksmith will identify the entry point, recommend the upgrade that defeats it (anti-snap cylinder, London bar, sash jammer, window restrictor), and quote a fixed price for the permanent repair. Almost every UK home policy will cover insurance-grade security upgrades after a burglary; ask the question before paying out of pocket.

Emotionally: it gets easier. Almost every burglary victim we attend describes the first 48 hours as the hardest. A secured home, a working alarm and a few small habit changes (lights on timers, side gate locked, valuables out of sight from windows) restore the sense of safety faster than you'd expect.