Assessing What Was Taken During a Burglary

People who have been the victim of a burglary often are so upset and angry after they discovered that they were robbed that they cannot think very clearly for a while afterward. This can be a problem, especially if you can’t give the police an accurate list of what was taken. The police are going to rely on you to help them in the investigation by letting them know what is missing and what was not taken. Police can often get an idea of who burglarized your home by the items that were stolen and the items that were left behind.

For instance, if small electronics are stolen, such as DVD players, game consoles, portable game systems, radios, laptops and tablets, the police can infer that the perpetrator could possibly be someone who is hooked on drugs. These small electronics can be removed from a house quickly and can be sold on the streets just as fast for drug money. They are also difficult to trace because they are very rarely marked by the homeowner in any way.

Sometimes, police can get an idea of who the perpetrator might be by what was left behind instead of what was stolen. For example, if all of your jewelry was stolen, but your electronics were left behind, the burglar was likely a professional burglar who has a fence for stolen items. These criminals don’t worry about the small electronics that can turn a quick buck. They are looking more for a big score and will likely have broken into many other homes looking for the same exact items.

If you have a surveillance camera as part of a comprehensive home security system, be sure to give the recording to the police as soon as you can. This will greatly aid in the investigation, even if they don’t get a good look at the burglar. There can still be clues as to his identity by the clothes he is wearing and his method of breaking in.

You should also have an inventory list of expensive items in your home so that when you are in a state of shock because of the burglary, you can compare that list with the items that are still in your home. This takes the guesswork out of the process and can help you and the police assess what was taken during the crime. Contact the monitoring service for your home security system as soon as you can to help the police determine when the alarm first went off and which entry point triggered the alarm. All of this can help you get your life back together after a burglary.