Being The Victims Of A Robbery: Prevent It Happening Again

It’s almost been three months since I was a victim of a robbery. My car was broken into right outside our house and my handbag and belongings were stolen.

11 weeks on and I still feel sick when I think about it. It wasn’t the financial or material side that bothered me so much, it was the emotions that came with someone doing something like that.

The idea of someone rifling through my handbag and casually discarding things they thought were worthless. It feels like a violation. I hated thinking of the things I couldn’t replace. The pictures I had of my husband and kids that I don’t have elsewhere. Pictures and little notes the kids had made. You can imagine how much stuff as a mum of three, I had in there!

Our local area seems to be a target at the moment. We’ve had houses being broken into, cars stolen, along with car break-ins such as ours. Due to this, I’ve become slightly more paranoid. It may be time to finally invest in a good home security system, perhaps even something as strong as a Blockade Vault Door for added peace of mind.

Perhaps that’s a good thing in a way. I was previously much more naive and trusting. However it wasn’t naivety that led to my handbag being left in my car, it was good old exhaustion and forgetfulness! I’d brought the kids back from karate one evening, popped to the shops on the way back, so by the time I had all three kids safely in the house, along with the shopping bags, I completely forgot my handbag was still in the car. A mistake I won’t make again!

How To Prevent A Robbery

Here are some of the things we’re doing to try and prevent a robbery from happening again:

• Completely emptying the car. Obviously the valuable things such as my phone and handbag, but I’ve also taken to removing everything. The kids’ school bags, coats etc, that I would previously leave in the boot for ease, I now bring in. I don’t want some opportunistic moron thinking there’s anything of value there!
• Every night at bedtime I take my handbag upstairs with me, just so I know where it is! I’m determined I won’t be careless enough to leave it in the car again!
• We do the same with the house and car keys. We previously kept them on a hook by the door but after hearing stories of house break-ins where they have found the keys and also stolen the car, they also come to bed with us!
• Double-check that everywhere is locked up. This seems obvious but with the warmer weather, we’re opening more windows and opening the patio doors. It’s so easy to forget to shut a window downstairs, or remember to lock the back doors so that’s another part of our bedtime routine!
• Leave nothing on show. This seems obvious but it’s so easy to forget, as I know all too well. This applies to the car but inside the house too. Some of the house break-ins in our area have happened in the middle of the day so I make a point not to leave anything of value that can be visible with the curtains open.

What To Remember If You’re a Victim of a Robbery

If you are unlucky enough to still be a victim of a robbery then there are a few things to remember.

• Cancel all debit and credit cards
• If it’s a home break-in, ensure you contact a locksmith such as Danum locksmiths to arrange to have your locks changed.
• Phone the police. They didn’t actually come out to us but at least the crime was logged and we had a crime reference number.
• Write a list of what’s missing.
• Contact your insurance.

Hopefully that may be of some help, even if it is just a reminder to be that little bit more careful with your possessions!

This is a collaborative post.