Burgled while we were at home

I am so sorry to hear this.

I hope you insurance company are helpful - you can never replace the items and the memories, but it helps if you aren't haggling over the value of the things you have had stolen.

I hope that the police are able to give you some advice to think about regarding your home security.

Oh my word! What a horrible experience for you.
Our next door neighbour was burgled while at home several years ago.
They gained access by using his wheelie bin to climb on to a flat roof, remove the landing window from the frame, they then proceeded to raid a desk in the front room downstairs - the chap was sitting in the back room watching tv. We heard a few bumps (we're in a semi) but like you assumed that it was or neighbour as at times he had a habit of banging doors and drawers!
They took a large amount of cash he had taken out to pay a couple of bills the next day along with a few items that had belonged to his deceased parents,
Only reason he knew anything had happened was because they left the front door open and he felt a draught! They luckily had dropped his door keys as they left the house.
Glad to hear that the police have been helpful and I will guess that it will be your anger that carries you through.

Thank you all for your kind words

I did write a reply then the insurers rang and it seems not to have come through to here, so apologies if I post twice.
The police have been excellent, very pleasant and supportive, though unfortunately there are no usable fingerprints.
Insurance appears to be proceeding smoothly. I have a video call with the appointed assessor tomortow, he sounded fully up to date that we have no photos or receipts and the only ancient valuations we have for my inherited items were in the 'precious items' box whose contents were taken.

We have discovered that the key to the french windows is missing.
It may have been taken out and put somewhere by our daughter so that the children don't play with it she can't recall, but to be on the safe side we are having the lock changed this afternoon.

We also discovered that they took a large pair of cutting out scissors from my sewing cupboard. Thank goodness we didn't confront them as they likely would have used them as a weapon

I hope your insurance will cover you as you left the door unlocked on porch and front door.
Fingers crossed they do.

Hopefully the insurance company will be sympathetic, as it was during the day when you could reasonably be expected to have the door unlocked. Another anti-burglary tip I was given is never to leave your keys in the lock when you have locked the door as it is possible to turn the lock from the other side and get in that way.

Isn't it just the most awful experience. We were burgled whilst at home too. I had left the back door open and the burglar came into the kitchen and stole my electric bike. The police knew exactly who it was and have rung me this morning to check I am happy to appear in court so I am hoping they will throw the book at him.
My insurance company were quite happy to pay up (although I got the bike back) as were home at the time so hopefully yours will too. Direct Line were brilliant.
We have now fitted door sensors linked to Alexa who tells us if the door opens. The back door lets anybody know that a silent alarm has been activated and when the door is closed, it reminds us to lock the door. We have fitted high gates and are in the process of fitting security cameras. I was more angry than shaken when it first happened but I realised that it had shaken me more than I had first thought which is why we organised a few safeguards.
I hope you are lucky like us and get your property back but more importantly, it doesn't unsettle you enough to blight your life.

Lincolnimp When I read this it made me feel sick. It reminded me of what happened to my friend a few years ago, she was in bed at night when she woken up and discovered a man rifling through her her husband's jacket pocket . The jacket was hanging on a chair next to the bed. He had taken her husband's wallet. All hell let loose, and the man climbed out of the window, from whence he came. It turned out it to be a neighbour, who knew exactly when my freind's husband got payed. The people who do this sort of thing are scum.

We were robbed while asleep in bed. They broke in through the garage, the door normally very noisy when opened, but it seemed they moved it just enough for some to crawl through on their belly. They stole my handbag, mobile phones and drove away in our two cars. The police stated they had been after my car, a Z3 (this was a several years ago), and had probably followed me for a couple of days. This was scary as my husband was working away and only returned that night, hence his car was taken too. The police also said it was lucky we didn't wake up and challenge them as they were likely 'tooled' up and we could have ended up seriously hurt or even dead. We had a burglar alarm installed just after this, with a 'panic' button in the bedroom.

Thank goodness it didn't happen while we were asleep in bed that would have been even worse.
We are to have the camera linked to my phone installed.
Stable door and horse comes to mind, but also lightening striking twice.

So sorry for you. I had an attempted burglary while I was home, but think the scumbags thought the house was empty. It happened when my car had failed its MOT and was not economical to repair, so there was no car outside as I had not had the opportunity to replace it. They must have thought I'd gone out!

I always leave lights on in the evening and have no curtains in the kitchen. I was in the living room with curtains closed and heard what I thought was something falling off a surface in the kitchen so went to investigate. With all dark outside and lights on in the kitchen all I could see was my own reflection in the french doors and the door handle moving. They must have been as shocked to see me as I was to see the door handle moving and presumably ran off. By the time I'd recovered from the shock it was too late to ring 999 so I rang 101 who did nothing! I was really shaken up by it.

The next day I investigated outside and found a large shovel abandoned in my garden with a missing corner which was on the patio. They had clearly tried to lever open the doors with the shovel. Thank goodness I heard them as I dread to think what would have happened if they had got in! When I reported the shovel I'd found the police came and were very good, sending SOCO who took casts of footprints in the garden. They also supplied me with alarms to fit to both sets of rear doors which should go off if the doors are shaken. (They worked at first but don't any more but they are a visible deterrent.) They also supplied timer plugs so I can set up lights to go on and off if I go away.

One of the most disturbing things was the thought that they had been 'casing the joint' as most break-ins tend to be opportunistic unless they think you really have a lot of valuables - I certainly don't - but losing anything personal is upsetting even if of little value!

I've since had a curtain rail put up over the kitchen doors though I've yet to put up curtains - I have them but they need shortening. Once I got over the shock it didn't seem so important so is still on the 'To Do' list!

I hope you get back your lost items and soon feel safe again. I was very lucky, but I still felt shaken up for a few weeks afterwards. It must be so much worse for you.

How awful and frightening ....being afraid to live alone in the UK (having just returned) I bought a retirement flat with a secure entry system. I don't like living in it, as obviously no garden, cant have a pet, etc etc and the cost and rules and regulations BUT that is one reason I bought it .....I lived on my own after my husband died but was constantly on the listen for 'noises off; ....even though I lived in the middle of a field in France (not literally !) and had no immediate neighbours and the area was very very quiet except for the occasional moo from the field beyond .....I would have loved to have bought a little bungalow, and still would, but would be too frightened to sleep .......I hope you will be ok ...put a camera on your front door, under the eaves, and on the bell ....and a video camera on the side of the house, back garden, etc....might not deter them, but if Police have time they can then look at footage ......make sure if you do that the camera is guarded with a metal frame as they will try to dismantle, damage etc that as well .......stay safe !

We have had a couple of thefts of catalytic converters being removed from cars in our quiet cul de sac. Apparently they resell on for £1000.Poluce have been great but they can't be on the road all night. Most houses have more yhan one car so they are parked on drive or road. We've installed CCTV outside now.

Seems a common event these days. Both our elderly neighbours in their late 80s have been robbed in the last year while they were sitting in arm chair at home. Its scary and I cannot belive people can be so brazen

This happened to my daughter-in-law in Ipswich. Keys to car were take, and car was stollen. What upset me the most was that my little granddaughter was asleep upstairs and I was abroad at the time.

Rotten scumbags I just don't know how they sleep at night?. Soundly I bet!!.I'm so sorry this awful thing has happened.Sending you hugs&hope you get justice .????

Scum of the earth aren't they!
How dreadful for you. You must be really shaken up.
Sending a big hug xxx

I hope your insurer pays out as not a forced break in was it.

I'm so sorry to hear that - I too was burgled - but this was a long time ago - the real problem apart from the loss of irreplaceable and personal items is the sense of being violated!.
I lived in a second floor flat alone and was burgled when I was out - but a few days later I was inside and heard someone mounting the outside Fire escape stairs and stop outside my window (one of the windows had access to the flat but was curtained) I cautiously peered out under the curtain and could see someone standing there pressed against the side of the stairs trying not to be seen. This was before mobile phones and I had no mains phone - so I left the flat and went to a nearby phone box to call the police - he was gone when we returned and hadn't broken in again but it was very frightening and I couldn't stay there after that! Luckily I was engaged and I moved to live with my fiancee, but I've never forgotten that awful sinking feeling. I hope they catch the perpetrator - but usually in a burglary they sadly rarely do!

Dirty rotten scumbags!! Poor you.

How frightening for you. There’s a lot of low life out there who don’t want to work for money or things.

I can’t imagine how frightening that must have been . I so hope you get your sentimental items back Lincolnimp. ?

I was burgled at Christmas 2019 and they took my cards and hacked into them, and the police were awful. They were callous and indifferent.

So sorry , how awful for you both.

That is shocking and upsetting for you. Hope you are feeling ok. Seems to be a spike in this at the moment. Just horrible.

I haven't read the whole thread yet but I do think you're going to have trouble with your insurance company because as you said right from the off on this thread .... you didn't lock the doors .... which basically invalidates your insurance!