After a Burglary: Making Doors and Gates Secure Again

Before anything is fixed: SAPS and the scene

Coming home to a forced door is frightening. If there's any chance the intruders are still inside, don't go in: move somewhere safe and call SAPS on 10111, or your armed response company if you have one.

Once you know the house is empty:

• Leave the scene as it is. Trellidor's burglary guidance puts it plainly: the crime scene shouldn't be disturbed, because vital evidence could be lost. Don't touch handles, locks, windows or anything that looks moved until fingerprints and statements have been taken.
• Keep people out of the affected rooms, including well-meaning neighbours and private security staff, until the police arrive.
• Report the crime. According to the government's Vuk'uzenzele guide to reporting crime, an offence can be reported at any police station; the case is registered and you are given a reference number, which you'll use for every enquiry about the case.
• Write down what you noticed while it's fresh: how you found the door or gate, what's missing, and anything you saw or heard.

A burglary is upsetting even when nobody was hurt. It's normal to feel shaken for a while; talking to someone, or contacting a counselling service such as Lifeline, can help.

Record the damage before it's repaired

Once SAPS have finished, and before any lock is touched, record how the intruders got in. This helps your insurance claim and helps the technician understand what failed.

• Photograph every damaged point from a distance and close up: the door edge, the lock, the strike plate on the frame, the security gate, burglar bars and any broken glass. Dialdirect's claims guidance notes that photos or video of the damage can be invaluable to your insurer.
• Keep the damaged parts. Ask the technician to give you the old cylinder, lock or strike plate rather than throw it away. Your insurer or assessor may want to see it.
• Tell your insurer early and ask what they need. Many home policies only cover theft where entry was forcible and violent, so evidence of how the house was entered matters.
• Keep every invoice for emergency repairs. Dialdirect advises keeping records of emergency repair costs so you can claim them later.

Getting through the first night

The goal for the first night is simple: every outside door and gate can be locked, and nobody who has your old keys can use them. That doesn't have to mean the final, upgraded solution. Dialdirect's guidance points out that damaged doors, locks or windows are unsafe to leave and should be repaired once the police have gathered their information.

• A forced cylinder can usually be replaced on the spot with a standard cylinder, and upgraded later.
• A strike plate that has been torn out of a timber frame can often be refitted temporarily, with a carpenter booked for the frame.
• If a door can't be made to lock at all tonight, the security gate in front of it, locked properly, may be enough until the door is fixed. If there's no gate, think about staying elsewhere.
• Don't rely on a door that only latches. A closed door that isn't locked is just closed.

We're open 24/7 for break-in repairs, including late at night after SAPS have left. If you're locked out because the lock was damaged, see emergency locksmith call-outs.

Checking each door and gate

Go round every entry point, not only the one that was forced. Intruders often try several doors before one gives. Look and photograph; don't take anything apart.

Even a lock that still works can have been weakened. If a cylinder or lock shows tool marks or feels different from before, have it checked rather than assuming it's fine. For sliding doors and security gates there are separate guides on sliding doors that won't lock and stuck security gate locks.

Stolen keys, remotes and codes

The damage you can see is only half of it. Ask yourself what the intruders could have taken or seen:

• House keys. If spare keys were in a drawer or on a hook, change every lock they open. MiWay's guidance after a burglary goes further: change the locks even if no key was taken, and assume any key could have been copied.
• Gate and garage remotes. Have stolen remotes removed from the gate motor or garage door receiver. That's done by the motor's installer or by following the maker's manual, and on many receivers it means re-adding the remotes you still have.
• Complex access tags or cards. Report them to the body corporate or managing agent so they can be cancelled.
• Alarm codes. If the intruders may have seen the code, or a panel was tampered with, speak to your alarm company.
• Safe keys or codes. If a safe was attacked or its key taken, it may need a new lock: see safe repairs.
• Car keys. If a car key was taken from the house, tell your insurer and see car keys and car locksmith work.

Our guide on when to rekey and when to replace a lock explains which locks can be dealt with by changing only the cylinder.

Insurance conditions and choosing replacements

Before you choose replacement locks, read the security conditions in your policy schedule. South African home insurers commonly set minimum requirements, such as burglar bars on opening windows, security gates or a second lock on sliding doors, and an armed alarm. A claim can be rejected if security doesn't meet those conditions, so it's worth replacing like with like, or better, and telling your insurer about any changes. MiWay also suggests checking that your upgrades and habits still meet your cover requirements.

Burglars sometimes come back to homes they've already been inside, because they know the layout and the weak points; MiWay says the first ten days after a burglary are crucial. That makes this a sensible time to upgrade rather than simply replace. On cylinder locks, an independently rated anti-snap cylinder is a modest step up: see euro cylinders and anti-snap upgrades. Repairing visible damage quickly also stops the house looking like an easy target.

Booking the repair

When you call, tell us which doors and gates were affected, whether keys or remotes were taken, and whether SAPS have finished at the house. Photos on WhatsApp help us work out what to bring. We come out to you anywhere in Roodepoort, day or night.

R250 call-out fee. The technician assesses the job on site and gives you the price before any work starts. Nothing is done until you agree. Because we're changing locks on your home, we ask for proof of residence or ownership before starting. Have the SAPS reference number handy, and keep our invoice for your insurer. Payment is by EFT, cash or card. Start with our break-in repair service, or go to the Roodepoort mobile locksmith home page to call.

Need a locksmith to look at it?

If this hasn't solved the problem, our break-in lock repairs service covers it. We're a mobile locksmith in Roodepoort, so we come to your door.

Sources and further reading

• Trellidor: How to handle a burglary — Call 10111; don't disturb the scene; wait for fingerprints and statements; keep private security out before police arrive
• Trellidor: How to handle the aftermath of a house robbery — Don't touch anything until fingerprints and statements are taken; trauma support such as Lifeline
• Vuk'uzenzele (GCIS): The police need your help — how to report a crime — Crimes can be reported at any police station; statements; reference number used for all enquiries
• Dialdirect: How to file a home insurance claim after a burglary — Case number for the insurer; don't touch tampered items; photos and video; damaged doors and locks repaired once police are done; keep repair invoices
• MiWay: Why criminals strike the same home again (30 June 2025) — Repeat burglaries; first ten days crucial; change all locks and assume keys could have been copied; check cover requirements
• FAnews (Alexander Forbes Insurance): Does your home's security match your theft policy? — Typical minimum security requirements; claims rejected if security doesn't match; forcible and violent entry