How to behave if your apartment is robbed? | Healthy Life

Trap for a burglar

What to do when, approaching your own apartment, you find the front door open? Experts advise: do not go inside under any circumstances! Make sure first if there is anyone in your apartment. After all, the unknown attacker may be armed. While continuing to monitor the apartment, call the police immediately! It's better to call from your neighbors. Then you will be in the know.

A trap can be set for an unknown robber. To do this, just slam the door, leaving the key in the lock. In this case, before the police arrive, he will no longer be able to leave your apartment, and the crime will be evident.

A criminal can enter your apartment even in your presence. For example, when you take out a bucket. In such a situation, your action plan may be the same as described above.

If you didn’t notice the intruder and returned to the apartment after he had entered, immediately jump back out onto the staircase and make a noise. Instead of “Help, they’re robbing!” It’s better to shout: “Fire!” People are now timid, but few can resist the threat of fire.

Keep your mouth shut

Most importantly, even if you are going to leave for just a few days, do not tell anyone except your trusted neighbors that you are going to do this. Among your acquaintances in the yard or even at the entrance there may be people who are not entirely trustworthy. They may blurt out that you have been away for a long time and thereby “direct” them to your apartment. A tip is the most common reason for robbery.

Do not allow random people to enter your apartment. Rest assured that it will be examined from all angles. Therefore, resolve all issues in the corridor.

Uninvited guest

A potential criminal catches up with you as you exit the elevator and demands that you open the door with your key? Try not to lose your composure. Use all your imagination. Pretend that you are going to visit, but you have the wrong entrance or floor.

However, experienced burglars usually do not act so rudely. Before committing a crime, they carefully study the lifestyle of the future victim, her habits, and daily routine. The robbery scenario in this case may look different. A criminal can enter an apartment using a master key or by taking advantage of the absent-mindedness of its residents. In this regard, experienced burglars have many different and well-tested tricks: from the classic “Open, you have a valuable parcel” to a request to answer questions in a sociological research questionnaire.

Therefore, be vigilant. Before opening the door to a stranger, check his ID (it's best to do this through a security chain or peephole).

If you neglected basic safety rules and an uninvited guest still ended up in your apartment, act according to the circumstances. Experts in the field of personal safety advise: in extreme situations, it is better to compromise. Even pretend to be asleep (when you are at home and unknown thieves opened your door with a master key). In this case, there is a chance that you will not be touched.

But you shouldn’t pretend to be an invincible ninja. Burglars are an unpredictable bunch. Especially if the thief is inexperienced, an amateur.

How to protect your home from theft?

Let's look at a few tips that will help minimize the risk of your belongings being stolen from your home.

Doors

In recent years, many inexpensive Chinese doors have appeared on the markets, and buyers are attracted by their cost. But people don’t take into account that it can be easily opened with a simple can opener; it takes thieves no more than 5 minutes. Preference should be given to all-metal structures. Their cost is much more expensive, but the price corresponds to the excellent technical characteristics.

Particular attention must be paid to the castle. Choose an imported mortise lock with a secret, preferably one with more than 3 turns of the key. It is better to install a latch or chain from the inside.

Window

To strengthen windows, try applying a special film to the inner surface of the glass, which will completely merge with it in 2-3 days. After this procedure, the window cannot be broken by anything. The service is expensive - for 1 sq.m. you will have to pay up to 4 thousand rubles.

You can use accessories that protect against burglary. When ordering plastic windows, ask the seller to equip them with special elements. They are inexpensive, but more reliable than grilles.

Install gratings - an old, proven method. Their range allows you to choose a design of any color and pattern.

Lock

Even if you have a high-quality, durable door, thieves can easily get into your home if the owners have not taken care of choosing a lock. There are 4 security classes of locks. Ordinary locks belong to the first class; a criminal can open them in a couple of minutes. Second class locks are also not particularly difficult. The burglar will have to work with the third one - it will take at least 20 minutes to open it, so if the thief is not sure of the presence of valuables, he is unlikely to contact your door. Fourth class locks can only be opened with special equipment, and this will take at least half an hour.

Today, the most reliable are electromechanical locks, which require the owner’s fingerprints and a special magnetic card to open. You cannot open it, you can only break it, and this is a rather lengthy and noisy process. However, they have a high cost. If you do not store serious valuables at home, then it is easier to put two locks of different classes on the door. This will discourage inexperienced and casual thieves.

Vigilance comes first

● If you still prefer active actions, resist, shout. Try to take advantage of the moment and jump out of the apartment, slamming the criminal in your apartment. ● The robber can be deceived. Promising to bring him home savings hidden in a safe place, and instead of getting them... a canister of nerve gas or tear gas. It’s good if you have these personal protective equipment and know how to use them. ● You can use a stun gun for protection. This self-defense tool is much easier to use than a spray can. And, unlike the latter, it does not require special conditions (special distance from the attacker, lack of wind, draft). ● You can protect yourself and your property by setting an alarm system in your apartment. This is especially recommended (if, of course, financial resources allow) for elderly single people. ● When calling a plumber, do not allow him to walk around the apartment, and do not leave valuables in sight. An experienced burglar can determine the well-being of your family based on the cosmetics in the bathroom alone. ● And one last thing. Don’t let your guard down, don’t invite random acquaintances into your apartment, don’t open the door to strangers. Always have the phone number of your local police department with you. And don’t carry your keys along with your passport (and the address of the apartment “where the money is”).

Remember, many burglaries are often the fault of the owners themselves. And even though they say that you can’t escape fate, it’s better not to tempt it.

Criminological characteristics

The theft of property from an apartment occurs without the knowledge of its owners.

The criminal’s choice of theft methods is directly influenced by external and internal factors.

External factors are related to:

the presence or absence of a connection between the target of the attack and the criminal;
the nature of the object of the illegal act (it could be an apartment, cottage or dacha);
location of the room;
the state of personal property;
the nature of the weapon used for the crime;
the presence of accomplices.

Internal factors include:

location of the crime target;
availability of knowledge about the location of premises, entrances and exits, locks, places of storage of property,
the victim's daily routine;
having experience as a thief;
individual characteristics of the criminal.

By the way

When? According to statistics, more than half of burglaries occur in the morning, when people are just leaving for work - from 9 a.m. to lunch. Another peak in burglaries occurs between 15:00 and 17:00. By day of the week, the peak of residential burglary is the weekend. Saturday and Sunday are the most fertile days for burglars. The reason is the long absence of the owners.

How? In half of the cases, theft occurs as a result of breaking into the entrance doors or windows. In 10% of cases, criminals enter an apartment by picking up the keys to the lock. And, oddly enough, in 40% of thefts are committed through free access, when a criminal, introducing himself, for example, as a housing department employee, enters an apartment or simply walks through a door that they forgot to close.

Who? More than half of all thefts are committed by homeless people or teenagers, drug addicts and other antisocial citizens. Most often, “unprofessional” thefts occur. The percentage of thefts by order in our country is very small. Businessmen no longer store large amounts of money at home.

Whom? Criminals choose the target of a robbery based on so-called external features - double-glazed windows, satellite dishes, iron doors, blinds, rich curtains on the windows. They may even come to a potential victim for “reconnaissance” under the guise of a plumber, doctor, social worker, have a nice conversation, promise help, and at the same time look at the situation, at the door lock, and at the presence of an alarm system in the apartment. A considerable proportion of burglaries are committed based on a tip. People themselves often happily tell their friends about their material successes, new purchases or profitable sales. Information can be passed on by word of mouth. And the gunners keep their ears open.

What to do if your home is robbed?

First of all, call the police immediately. This can be done by calling 112 from a mobile phone or 02 from a landline. Before the arrival of the rapid response team, it is strictly forbidden to enter the residential premises - there is always a possibility that the criminals are still in the apartment.

If you do enter, do not touch anything until the forensic experts arrive. The premises must remain inviolable - you cannot remove scattered objects, restore order, i.e. perform any actions that may hide traces of a crime.

Inspection of the place can give an idea of the thief’s personal characteristics; for example, a professional criminal tries to act carefully and quietly, without attracting the attention of neighbors. Drug addicts and alcoholics show increased interest in alcoholic beverages or medications; they have little interest in fashionable new items or rare items. If food products are stolen, there is a high probability that the act was carried out by people without a fixed place of residence.

Note!
Analysis of evidence found during an inspection of the premises makes it possible to clarify the circumstances of the robbery and form an image of the criminal.

Next, you should file a theft report. It must be registered by a police officer, and you must be given a document confirming the fact of acceptance. The application is written in any form and must contain the following information:

your passport details;
the essence of the appeal;
a detailed description of all the circumstances of the case;
list of stolen property;
date and signature.

Together with law enforcement officials, make a detailed inventory of all property that was stolen by the criminals, and indicate the distinctive features of the items.

In many cases, thieves are caught thanks to the help of neighbors, especially for older people who spend all their time at home or in the yard. They are able to provide information about the strangers they saw on the day of the robbery and give their descriptions.

Note!
Don't forget to change the locks. This must be done immediately. This will reduce the likelihood of theft happening again.

A few days after the crime, go to nearby buying and pawn shops, where stolen items are often sold. If found, do not rush to insist on an immediate return - return again with the police officer involved in your case.

"AiF Health" recommends

>> Be sure to lock the door, even if you go out for a moment - put your car in the garage, get a newspaper from the mailbox, or throw out the trash. >> When you come home with shopping, don’t rush to drag it into the kitchen - first close the door. >> Do not rush to the landing if the lights in the entire apartment suddenly go out late in the evening - this is a fairly well-known trick of intruders. It’s better to call your neighbors and go to the electrical panel with them. >> Strengthen the front door by choosing an iron door with a reliable lock (preferably with a lever mechanism, the reliability of which depends on the number of code plates). >> It would be a good idea to get window and door latches that prevent windows and doors from opening in your absence. >> A reliable way to protect your apartment is an alarm system. Special portable devices that activate an alarm can be carried with you or placed on a table by the bed. >> Do not advertise your absences and material well-being to others. >> Maintain good relations with your neighbors in the stairwell: their vigilance is the key to your safety. >> When you hear the doorbell ring, don’t run headlong to open it - first look through the peephole.

Who is hiding under the mask?

According to statistics from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, the number of professional thieves of the total number is about 15%. Often a criminal act of this kind is committed by citizens without a permanent place of residence, people in a state of alcoholic intoxication. Thefts from citizens arriving from outside Russia have been observed.

Not in all cases, attackers have a developed plan. That is why any opposition can frighten them and force them to abandon the implementation of their plans.

Punishment

Different parts of Article 158 of the Criminal Code establish specific types, terms and amount of punishment when a citizen commits proven theft.

So, general legal penalties mean that you will have to:

Pay money (fine) - no more than 80,000 rubles;
Go to compulsory work - no more than 360 hours;
Send to correctional labor for a period of no more than a year;
Accept restrictions on your freedom for a period of no more than two years;
Go through arrest - for a period of 4 months;
Lose your freedom for a period of no more than two years.

Theft from pockets of clothing, non-residential premises or group theft (not organized crime) may be punished as follows:

Two hundred thousand rubles of fines - no more, but less;
480 or less mandatory work;
The assignment of correctional labor is for a period of no more than two years;
Assignment of forced labor for a period of no more than five years;
Imprisonment – up to 5 years in prison.

Major thefts, thefts from apartments and houses, as well as theft of the country's natural resources are punished as follows:

Five hundred thousand rubles in fines – no more, but less;
Imprisonment - no more than 6 years (in this case, a fine of 80,000 rubles may also be charged for subsequent violations);
Forced labor – no more than 5 years.

Particularly large-scale thefts, as well as the activities of gangster groups committing theft, imply the following penalties:

No more than ten years imprisonment;
Fine up to a million rubles.

Suspicious marks

An advertising brochure in a door crack, a coin on a rug, a sliver of wood, a piece of foil or a match in a doorway - with the help of these simple signs, thieves find out whether the owners are at home. The apartment owners will remove the advertisement, the coin will be picked up or thrown away, and a match or piece of paper will quietly fall out if the door is opened. If everything remains in place, this is a signal for the thief: no one is entering the apartment, you can rob.

Pay attention not only to the door, but also to the mailboxes: sometimes signs are left on them. Either the scammers are marking the apartments of lonely old people, or those apartments that they plan to rob.

If such marks appear, take immediate action: change the locks and install a security alarm if your budget allows. Although this is not a cheap pleasure, they have not yet come up with better protection against burglaries: even if the lights are turned off and the wires are cut, the first responder service will still receive an alert and arrive.

You can also turn a thief out this way: place a sticker on the door that says “The object is guarded by the police.” This thief repeller costs only 150 rubles.

Suspicious calls

If in response to your “Who’s there?” — silence, perhaps the criminals find out when no one is home. Thieves may pretend to be employees of the management company and ask when they can come check the batteries. It is better to play it safe and not answer such questions, but call the organization and find out whether an inspection is really planned.

To confuse criminals, try to change your schedule several times a week, for example, coming home more often during your lunch break if you work nearby. If you're going on vacation, buy a smart socket with a timer: it will turn on the lights and radio in the evenings - from the street it will seem like someone is at home.

Source

Company advantages

Turn on the sound on the video!!

Free consultation with a criminal lawyer

Free hotline (Moscow and regions of the Russian Federation)

Consultations in a mobile application

In response to a previously made call, not only the police should arrive, but also an investigative team, including a forensic expert. He will be the one who will investigate the apartment, recording all the evidence found and traces of the robber. Particular attention should be paid to giving evidence to the investigator. It is necessary to express information as accurately as possible, try not to worry and not to say anything about the robbery if you are not completely sure of it.

If there are signs of a break-in, the investigator must record them by taking photographs. In addition, the investigator must compile a complete list of stolen items.