Whether you are burgled in your sleep or if you come across the burglar in the act in your home, you necessarily feel in danger! What to do now ? How to behave ? To prepare for the worst, below are two burglary scenarios and 10 tips for adopting the right attitude if necessary.
Scenario number one: you are robbed while you sleep
Each year in France, there are around 500,000 break-ins. But only around 20% of break-ins take place between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., which is when most residents are asleep. Even though this happens much less often, you need to prepare for the worst case scenario. Police recommend that you take the following 5 steps whenever you suspect a burglar is in your home:
1. Call the police
First of all, always call the police. To avoid falling on the burglar, you should always have your cell phone handy at night.
2. Go to the children’s room
Next, parents should, if possible, enter the children’s room unnoticed in order to ensure their safety. In most cases, the parents’ bedroom and the children’s bedroom are fortunately on the same floor or directly next to each other. Those who do not have children should stay in their room at all costs and should not confront burglars under any circumstances, as the latter probably armed, even if it is only a screwdriver.
3. Lock the bedroom door
Lock the bedroom door, when possible. If you can’t, place furniture in front of the door to barricade yourself and provide more safety.
4. Turn on the light
If you dare to do it, turn on the light and make some noise. Moving furniture is a good way to do this. Opening the window and calling for help is also an effective way to scare off the burglar (s). Typically, burglars want to avoid confrontation with locals. When they realize that they are not alone, they often run away quickly.
5. Stay on the defensive
In the rare event that the burglar is not impressed with someone’s presence in the house, you need to prepare for the worst. To do this, use pepper spray or something you can defend yourself with in an emergency. Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases this does not happen.
Scenario number two: there are burglars in your house when you get home
The majority of burglaries take place during the day. In fact, 80% of burglaries in France take place during the day, between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. So if you come home after shopping or working and find a broken entrance or balcony door, there are also 5 steps the police advise you to take:
1. Do not enter or leave the house immediately
As soon as you notice that your front door or balcony door has been forced open, you must leave your home immediately to avoid coming face to face with burglars.
2. Call the police
Once outside, you must immediately call the police. If you don’t have a phone with you, ask your neighbors for help.
3. Draw attention to yourself
Next, draw attention to yourself, but without obstructing the burglar’s escape route. Ring the doorbell of your neighbors, make noise together to signal the intruder that he is no longer alone.
4. Don’t go to confrontation
It is important not to directly confront the burglar (s). Do not play the hero to scare him (s) away, because when a burglar has to defend himself, he often does not hesitate to resort to physical violence. Its primary objective is to avoid getting caught by the police. Therefore, watch the events passively and wait for the police.
5. Memorize the appearance and registration number of the vehicle
While drawing attention to yourself on the street, if you see the burglar trying to escape, you should memorize their appearance and, if necessary, the license plate of the vehicle that is used to escape. This will help the police to locate the perpetrator and recover the stolen goods.
The fear of being a victim of burglary is very present, but the probability is low. However, if you are very scared, there are many preventive measures, such as door and window alarms and consultation with neighbors. Be vigilant and attentive, but don’t panic. And if you are a victim, apply the tips mentioned above.
Here you will find more articles on the topic of burglary and how you can protect yourself and your valuables from it:
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