Break-in News
When your house is broken into, a lot of other things break too. Like your faith in the security of your own home.
When you were robbed, they took away more than just the laptops, money, handphones or jewelleries. You were also robbed off of your peace of mind and good night sleep.
Having been there, I know now the kind of assistance that victims need, and the things that we hope we would be spared from.
The Don’t(s)
I certainly don’t need neighbors and friends coming over just to point out the weaknesses in our house.
Thieves found your down lights irresistible.
Your trees are too tall.
You should have put family pictures up on the wall.
You should have put some Quranic versus by the door.
You shouldn’t have engaged that foreigner to cut your grass.
You should have hidden your jewelleries under the mattress.
Your i-told-you-so(s) and you-should-have-known-better(s) are not helping, you see. Victims have enough regrets, too many should-haves and should-have-nots in the head already. Adding to them, serves absolutely no purpose!
And I don’t care to know about all the other cases concerning your friends of friends of relatives of friends. And I especially do not need to know how almost impossible it is to get all the things back and how the same thugs could come again maybe tomorrow, or just because you’ve had it doesn’t mean you will not be hit again. This may not seem obvious to you, but we have a lot of worries already. Bordering on paranoia, in fact. The only sane thing to do is to deal with it piece by piece. Like right after the incident, victims would be focused in fixing things. It kept them going, it gave them purpose, there’s a sense of security (as false as it may be) when you fix the house, put on extra latches on all doors and installing gadgets.
Friends and neighbors come to the house probably out of curiosity or maybe based on genuine concern, but you see, I have everything in all wardrobes strewn all over the floor, I really don’t feel like sitting down and chat. Entertaining guests would be the last thing on any victim’s mind, thank you very much.
The Do(s)
I consider ourselves lucky because we weren’t home when it happened. And so our ATM cards are still with us. And so we were not cashless.
In many cases, victims probably lost their cash, valuables AND all their ATM cards. They could block the cards yes, but in the meantime they would be strapped of cash. I spent quite a hefty sum to repair the door. I cannot even begin to imagine how families strapped of cash could fix their doors. It has to be immediate too. If you really want to help, why don’t you donate a bit of cash to the cashless vistims?
Some thoughtful friends came over with food. That helped a lot. Because fixing meals was not something that I looked forward to. Plus the kitchen was ransacked too. For being a friend-in-need, thank you Mek Yah and Hez.
Another friend offered to take my kids for the night. That was awfully useful because their rooms were not exactly habitable that night. I thank you, Shidah.
If you have time to spare, why not offer to help clear up the mess? In my case, there was barely any space on the floor to step on, because the thieves really turned my house upside down. I was grateful by an offer from a neighbor but declined it for selfish reasons. I needed to be busy, and I dared not sleep that night. I needed the task. But some other victims probably would welcome the extra pair of hands.
A friend helped greatly when he sent his friends over to fix the door. We called many numbers but most companies couldn’t come on such short notice. Thanks to Kudin, his friends fixed the door and the iron gates so fast that I could sleep easier the next night. Sharing of resources, contact persons or even phone numbers help a great deal.
As a note to end this, I say, be careful, friends. May you never fall victim to house break-ins.
When you were robbed, they took away more than just the laptops, money, handphones or jewelleries. You were also robbed off of your peace of mind and good night sleep.
Having been there, I know now the kind of assistance that victims need, and the things that we hope we would be spared from.
The Don’t(s)
I certainly don’t need neighbors and friends coming over just to point out the weaknesses in our house.
Thieves found your down lights irresistible.
Your trees are too tall.
You should have put family pictures up on the wall.
You should have put some Quranic versus by the door.
You shouldn’t have engaged that foreigner to cut your grass.
You should have hidden your jewelleries under the mattress.
Your i-told-you-so(s) and you-should-have-known-better(s) are not helping, you see. Victims have enough regrets, too many should-haves and should-have-nots in the head already. Adding to them, serves absolutely no purpose!
And I don’t care to know about all the other cases concerning your friends of friends of relatives of friends. And I especially do not need to know how almost impossible it is to get all the things back and how the same thugs could come again maybe tomorrow, or just because you’ve had it doesn’t mean you will not be hit again. This may not seem obvious to you, but we have a lot of worries already. Bordering on paranoia, in fact. The only sane thing to do is to deal with it piece by piece. Like right after the incident, victims would be focused in fixing things. It kept them going, it gave them purpose, there’s a sense of security (as false as it may be) when you fix the house, put on extra latches on all doors and installing gadgets.
Friends and neighbors come to the house probably out of curiosity or maybe based on genuine concern, but you see, I have everything in all wardrobes strewn all over the floor, I really don’t feel like sitting down and chat. Entertaining guests would be the last thing on any victim’s mind, thank you very much.
The Do(s)
I consider ourselves lucky because we weren’t home when it happened. And so our ATM cards are still with us. And so we were not cashless.
In many cases, victims probably lost their cash, valuables AND all their ATM cards. They could block the cards yes, but in the meantime they would be strapped of cash. I spent quite a hefty sum to repair the door. I cannot even begin to imagine how families strapped of cash could fix their doors. It has to be immediate too. If you really want to help, why don’t you donate a bit of cash to the cashless vistims?
Some thoughtful friends came over with food. That helped a lot. Because fixing meals was not something that I looked forward to. Plus the kitchen was ransacked too. For being a friend-in-need, thank you Mek Yah and Hez.
Another friend offered to take my kids for the night. That was awfully useful because their rooms were not exactly habitable that night. I thank you, Shidah.
If you have time to spare, why not offer to help clear up the mess? In my case, there was barely any space on the floor to step on, because the thieves really turned my house upside down. I was grateful by an offer from a neighbor but declined it for selfish reasons. I needed to be busy, and I dared not sleep that night. I needed the task. But some other victims probably would welcome the extra pair of hands.
A friend helped greatly when he sent his friends over to fix the door. We called many numbers but most companies couldn’t come on such short notice. Thanks to Kudin, his friends fixed the door and the iron gates so fast that I could sleep easier the next night. Sharing of resources, contact persons or even phone numbers help a great deal.
As a note to end this, I say, be careful, friends. May you never fall victim to house break-ins.
posted by OOD at 9:29 PM
6 comments
