After a Break-In in Basingstoke | The First 24 Hours, Step by Step

I attend these most weeks, and the pattern is always the same: a forced door, a rattled homeowner, and a set of decisions that matter more than they realise in the moment. The next 24 hours shape both the police investigation and the insurance claim. So work through this in order.

I'm a locksmith, not a solicitor or a loss adjuster. But I've stood in a lot of forced doorways across Brighton Hill, Popley and Old Basing, and the things that go wrong go wrong predictably.

Before you touch anything

Don't tidy. Don't lift things back into place. Walk through and note what's been disturbed, but handle as little as you can. The police want it as it is, not as it was.

If anyone is hurt or you think the intruder may still be inside, ring 999. If it's clearly over and the property is empty, report on 101 or through the Hampshire Constabulary website.

Get the crime reference number

The police issue it when you report. Write it down somewhere you won't lose it, because your insurer will ask for it more than once over the coming month. No reference, no claim.

Photograph everything, before the repair

More is better. Take the forced point from outside and in, the damaged frame, lock and glass, any tool marks, and each room showing what's been moved or taken. Do it before the work starts, because police photographers don't always share theirs, and your insurer will want a clear record.

Ring your insurer and ask three things

Give them the crime reference, then get straight answers to:

• Are emergency repairs covered, and do you need to approve a locksmith first?
• Is there an approved-repairer list I have to use, or can I choose my own?
• Do I pay and claim back, or will you settle with the locksmith directly?

Clarify this before you book, not after. It's the bit people skip and then argue about.

Get the property re-secured

This is where I come in. Tell me the address, what was forced, what's currently holding (if anything), and whether anyone's home. For a same-night re-secure I'll typically replace damaged cylinders, fit temporary locks where the original is destroyed, board broken glazing (a glazier supplies replacement glass, not me), ease forced frames enough to make it safe overnight, and photograph the lot for your records.

The upgrade conversation

I'd rather not skip this, even though it's not what anyone wants to hear an hour after a break-in. Nearly every burglary I attend exploited one specific weakness: a snappable cylinder, an accessible window with no key catch, a hollow handle, an open side gate. The entry method is a diagnosis.

So the job after the job is making the same trick fail next time. Anti-snap cylinders front and back to TS007 3-star, hinge bolts on a wooden door, key-operated catches on accessible windows, a BS3621 mortice on any final exit door without one, and securing the side gate or shed if that's the route they took. You don't have to act on any of it. But the insurer is already paying for the visit, so it's the cheapest this will ever be.

A few myths, quickly

• "I must use my insurer's locksmith." Almost never true. They recommend, you choose.
• "Board it up now, sort it next month." Insurers can treat a long-term board as failing to mitigate.
• "Out-of-hours costs the same as daytime." It doesn't, there's a surcharge, and I'll be straight about it on the call.

When to ring

If you're reading this with a forced door right now, ring us and we'll re-secure on the same visit where we have someone free, across RG21 to RG29.

If you're reading it as a what-if, do the five-minute walk: cylinders, windows, side gates. Most break-ins are opportunistic, and most homes can be made a good deal harder than they are today.