Someone Just Broke Into My Business! What Should I Do?
Somebody breaking into your business can be an incredibly traumatic experience; it can be easy to become overwhelmed if this happens, but that shouldn’t stop you from following the necessary steps. By understanding the immediate actions you should take, you can quickly make the situation more manageable and protect yourself from break-ins in the future.
Call The Police
As soon as you’ve confirmed there was a break-in, you should call the police immediately. While this may seem like an obvious step, shock can often overwhelm people, causing them to delay their actions. Additionally, some people may wish to look around to find damage or missing items but doing this first could hinder a police investigation.
The sooner the police are alerted, the more likely the responsible party will be caught. This may be the difference between whether or not any stolen items are returned, and whether the guilty party will be held accountable.
Take A Look Around To See What Is Missing
While you should certainly alert the police before you begin this step, you’re likely the one with the most knowledge of what you have within the premises. By having a look around, you should quickly be able to gauge what, if anything, has been taken. Hopefully, inventory documents will be able to aid you in this venture.
You should try your best not to move anything in your investigation, maintaining the crime scene as accurately as possible to aid the job of the police when they arrive.
Get In Touch With Your Insurance Company
When you have established any damage done within the premises, along with establishing if there are any stolen items, the next step should be to contact your insurance company. Business property insurance will likely be able to pay for repairing or replacing any stolen or damaged property that was on the premises.
There may be other insurances to follow up on in this stage, such as expensive equipment. It’s advisable to make a list of everything within your business that’s insured and to contact the respective companies as soon as possible.
Begin To Repair Your Windows, Doors And Locks
Once the police have done a thorough sweep of the premises and all of the necessary insurance claims have been filed, there’s still another immediate action that must be done: Dealing with breaches in your security, via your doors or windows.
This means that you’ll likely have to contact a window/door repair company as soon as possible to replace damaged doors or windows or to create a temporary fix for these until you leave the building. If you know a local emergency locksmith, you should be able to at least repair or replace any damaged or broken locks within a few hours.
Figure Out What You Need To Do In Order To Improve Your Security
Paranoia can often follow a business break-in, and it may cause you to have doubts about your security. This is perfectly natural, and you should follow this instinct by making arrangements to improve your business’s security measures.
An increasing number of businesses are implementing magnetic locks for their external doors, as they’re harder to break into and require little to no maintenance. Security door locks are another option you can look into as well.
Call Lock-Up Services Today If You Are In Need Of Superb Locksmith Services!
If you’re looking to amp up your security, need emergency locksmith services, or simply want an established locksmith on-call, then Lock-Up Services is here for you. With more than 40 years of experience in the industry, we’re certain we can provide all of our customers with the level of exceptional customer service and quality results that they deserve.
We serve all of the Greater Toronto Area, and love establishing new customers who will hopefully continue work with us for all of their locksmith needs. Contact us today and find out how we can be of service to you and your business.