Guide
What to Do After a Burglary: The First Hours, Days and Weeks Ahead
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Start Here With the First Hour
The very first step is a judgement about safety. Could someone still be in your home? If so, or if you cannot be certain, phone 999 rather than going inside. If the house is empty and the intruder has left, contact the police on 101 or use their online reporting service. Every other step on this page follows that call.
| Recorded by police in Boston (Sep 2025 to Aug 2026) | 12 months | Monthly average | Highest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burglary | 245 | 20 | Jan 2026 (64) |
| Criminal damage and arson | 419 | 35 | May 2026 (47) |
Source: Lincolnshire Police records published on data.police.uk (OGL v3), Sep 2025 to Aug 2026. Counts are anonymised records mapped inside the Boston built-up area, not a measure of the risk to any one home.
If You Think There Is Someone Still Inside
Do not walk in to check, and if you are already inside, leave quietly. Phone 999 from outside, ideally from a neighbour's or from your car, and keep the line open if asked. Never try to stop or follow anyone.
If the Burglar Has Gone and the House Is Empty
Phone 101 or report online and make a note of your crime reference number. Have a rough idea of which rooms were entered before you call.
What Not to Do Before the Police Have Been
Do not clean or repair the point of entry yet. Photograph anything disturbed, then leave the obvious areas alone.
Five steps for the first hour
- Report it to the police on the right number.
- Keep out of disturbed rooms until the police have been.
- Write down what is missing that you can already see.
- Phone your bank if cards or a chequebook are missing.
- Secure the property when the police say it is released.
What the Police Need You to Leave Alone, and What You Can Use as Normal
Can you put the lights on? Yes. Police guidance on forensic evidence allows normal use of light switches and door handles away from the entry point, whether a crime scene investigator is coming or not. Leave the entry point untouched until police permit work; elsewhere, where possible, avoid touching or cleaning three kinds of thing: fluids such as blood, footprints, and areas or items the person who committed the crime handled.
What You Can Touch and Use as Normal
Use lights and doors away from the entry point. The household's everyday surfaces already carry its own marks, so investigators usually look elsewhere. Make tea, put children to bed, sit down.
What to Leave Untouched Until the Police Finish
Keep away from the point of entry, any footprints, and anything obviously moved or emptied. Ask when you report it how long to leave things, because no standard period is published, and write the answer down.
If You Have To Move Things, How to Do It Safely
When something must be moved, photograph it first. With police permission to move it, pick it up wearing gloves if it is plastic, metal, glass or treated wood. Ordinary washing-up gloves do the job.
| You can use | Leave for the police |
|---|---|
| Switches | Door, window or frame they came through |
| Handles away from the damaged entrance | Footwear marks |
| Bathroom and kitchen | Any blood or fluids |
| Rooms they never entered | Anything they clearly touched |
Is It Possible to Repair the Door Before the Insurer Has Seen It?
Photographs alone do not mean you can repair the door now; wait for police permission. Once work is allowed, photograph the damage before anyone begins repairs to secure the home. As for paying for it, the Association of British Insurers states in its theft guidance that "Your insurance policy will usually cover you for any emergency repairs you make following an incident." It says usually for a reason; check your own cover, as it varies by policy. A separate page explains how to board up a damaged door or window.
Three steps, in order 1. Photograph the door, lock and frame. 2. Make it secure after police say work can begin. 3. Keep receipts and any removed parts.
Photograph the Damage Before Anything Gets Repaired
Photograph from a distance so the location is obvious, then close up on the lock, the frame and any marks. Do it before anyone starts work and again afterwards.
What Your Policy Usually Covers for Emergency Repairs
Generally, work needed to make the property secure and weathertight: boarding, a replacement lock, a window made to close. Home emergency cover, where you have it, may have its own helpline and preferred contractor, so call first and ask what your policy needs from you.
Keep the Paperwork Your Insurer Will Ask For
Gather the crime reference number, photographs, receipts and a record of conversations, with names and dates. Keep any damaged lock in a bag; it is physical evidence of the forced entry.
Reporting the Burglary, and Getting a Crime Reference Number
Ask any insurer what it needs first after a burglary and the answer is the crime reference number. It is the record that links your claim to a reported crime, and it is surprisingly easy to finish a call without one. Before you hang up or press submit, check you have it. Neighbourhood Watch guidance is to note it specifically for your insurance.
999, 101 or Online? Which Route Applies
If the burglar is still there, or the break-in is happening now, it is a 999 call. If they have left, 101 and the online report both reach the police control room, and police guidance is that an online report is treated in exactly the same way as a phone one. That matters when 101 is busy: the form loses you nothing. Reporting at an open police station is also possible.
What Happens After You Report It
The police decide which reports they can investigate by weighing the vulnerability of the victim, the seriousness of the crime, the likelihood of solving it and the best use of resources. They will be in touch whatever the outcome. A decision not to investigate comes with an explanation; a decision to investigate comes with an investigating officer who keeps you up to date. Record the officer's name and the date of each contact with your reference number.
Your Insurance Claim: What to Gather and What to Expect
Your insurer needs three things: the crime reference number, a list of what has gone, and evidence of what each item was worth. A contents claim is mostly a documentation exercise, and the quality of the list decides how it goes far more than anything said on the phone. Damage to the house itself may fall under buildings insurance rather than contents, and any excess is set out in your policy schedule.
Building the List of What Was Taken
Work room by room rather than relying on memory, and keep adding over several days, because things in drawers surface late. For each item, record make, model, rough age and any serial number. Proof of ownership often already exists in bank statements, online order histories, warranty registrations and photographs taken at home. Pass any new serial numbers to the police.
What a Loss Adjuster Looks For
A loss adjuster assesses the claim on the insurer's behalf, and may or may not visit. Expect questions about the police report, how entry was gained, your inventory and proof of ownership. Some policies carry conditions about locks on external doors and windows, so read yours rather than guessing.
Compensation and What the Criminal Injuries Scheme Does and Does Not Cover
The criminal injuries scheme covers injury, not stolen or damaged property. A burglary while the house was empty is an insurance matter. Someone present who was physically or mentally injured may be eligible; the crime must be reported first, and time limits apply. GOV.UK has the details.
Again, Making Your Home Secure
By tonight you want two things: an entrance that locks properly, and certainty about every key to the house. People tend to treat these as one job, but they are different. Repairing the damage deals with the door. Restoring control of the keys deals with who can get back in, and that is the part that is easy to overlook in the rush. The guide to burglary damage repairs explains the first job in detail.
Why Changing the Locks Matters More Than the Door That Was Damaged
Is it mechanically sound? Does anyone outside the household hold a working key? A forced door answers the first; only a new cylinder answers the second. With uPVC and composite doors, that usually means swapping the euro cylinder rather than the whole multipoint lock. See how people replace the locks for more.
Who Else Holds One, and Missing Spare Keys
Gather every key, front, back and side, and match each to a person. Where a key sat on a hook by the door, in a drawer or in a coat now missing, assume it may have gone with the burglar.
If You Rent: Telling Your Landlord or Housing Provider
Report the burglary to your landlord or housing provider as soon as the police have it. They normally own the door, windows and locks; you insure your own belongings. Agree any lock change with them, ideally in writing, so nobody is left without a key.
The Weeks After: Feeling Settled at Home Again
Once the claim is filed and the door works, the practical side is over, yet the house may not feel quite normal for a while. That is ordinary. It does not mean anything is wrong, and there is no expected way to feel or length of time it should take. What follows is simply what is available, and a few practical things that can help home feel settled again.
Available Support, and How to Get It
Victim Support helps people after burglaries of every kind, whether or not anyone was hurt and whatever was taken. It can include everyone in the household, including children who were out at the time. Calling with a practical request, such as help completing an insurance form, is entirely legitimate. Independent Age supports older people, and your GP is another route.
Practical Changes That Help a House Feel Settled
Keep this to doors, windows and keys, the things that are part of every day. - A forced lock, even repaired, can be replaced with a new one. - Each external door and window lock can be checked to confirm it works. - Keys can be gathered back to a set you can account for.
Nothing on this list has a deadline. If you want the technical background, read which door locks meet insurance requirements and anti-snap cylinders.
Your Rights as a Victim Under the Victims' Code
If you have reported a burglary in England and Wales, you already hold twelve rights under the Victims' Code. They apply from the moment of reporting and are summarised by Victim Support. You will not need most of them. A few, though, are directly useful after a break-in, and naming them gives you a specific entitlement to point to when something is not happening.
The Rights That Matter Most Right Now
- Recording without unjustified delay means your report should be logged promptly.
- Information on reporting covers your crime reference number and what comes next.
- Referral to support services is the right most people never hear about.
- Information about the investigation lets you ask for news without apologising.
- The right to complain applies when any of the above has not been met.
There is also the Victims' Right to Review, which allows certain decisions not to proceed with a case to be reconsidered.
Being Referred to Victim Support
You have two routes: ask the police to refer you, or contact Victim Support yourself. The service is free and does not depend on the police, which some people prefer. It helps emotionally and practically, including with insurance forms, and in some areas with making a property secure. Its website carries up-to-date contact details.
In Boston, Getting Your Home Secure
The work covers three jobs: boarding up a forced door or broken window, repairing or replacing a lock that was forced, and fitting new cylinders where a key is missing. Big Locksmiths Boston answers calls around the clock, every day of the year, bank holidays included. Every engineer is DBS-checked. You pay for the work carried out, any parts needed, and VAT. Rates outside Monday to Friday, 7am to 6pm, are higher, but the call-out itself is never charged. If anything found on site would change the agreed price, you are told before the work starts.
Phone 01205 601044
There is more about an emergency locksmith call-out on its own page, or you can talk to a Boston locksmith about your door.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to report a burglary to the police?
In practice, reporting the burglary is usually part of making a theft claim. The insurer may want evidence in the form of a police report. Expect the crime reference number to be requested too, often before much else is discussed about the claim.
Can I clean up after a burglary?
You can carry on with everyday tasks elsewhere in the house when it is safe to enter. At the entry point, avoid cleaning, opening doors or touching handles until the police say that work may begin.
Should I change my locks after a burglary?
Yes, if you cannot account for every key. Repairing the door does not prevent a missing key from operating the existing cylinder. Someone holding a key taken during the burglary could still unlock it, so a qualified locksmith can change the lock as part of securing the door.
Will my insurance pay for the emergency door repair?
Usually it will, although your policy decides the position in your case. The Association of British Insurers gives that general indication for emergency door repairs. Cover varies between insurers and with the protection chosen, so confirm what your particular insurance includes for this work.
How do I find someone trustworthy to make the house secure?
Use the initial phone conversation to assess how clearly a locksmith explains charges. The amount should be discussed then, with any later change communicated ahead of the work. Clarity about out-of-hours costs is another point to look for when selecting someone to secure the house.
Can I claim criminal injuries compensation for stolen property?
The answer is no for stolen property. Criminal injuries compensation is not a means of recovering the loss of belongings taken by a burglar. If the claim you have in mind concerns those possessions, you cannot claim for them through this form of compensation.
I rent my home. Who pays for the broken door and lock?
Your landlord normally handles the broken external door and lock. For your possessions, the relevant cover is contents insurance. Windows also sit within the landlord's usual responsibility, alongside outside doors and their locks, so the damage and any loss of belongings are separate matters.
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