Japan is considered one of the safest countries in the world and does not have many thefts. However, the possibility of burglary occurs everywhere. Therefore, knowing how to deal with thieves is very essential. 

 

Call 110:

 

110 is the emergency number for the police department. When contacting 110, you will need to provide information including:

 

What happened?
Where?
When?
About the suspect(s)?
Your address, name, phone number?

 

According to statistics from the police department in Japan, there are three main types of theft ranked by the most common, which are:

 

Sneaking into an empty house
Sneaking in while everyone in the house is sleeping
Sneaking in when everyone is at home and doing activities such as eating, chatting, watching TV, etc.

 

In case thieves sneak in and steal assets while you are away, or when thieves have just left, do not clean up the scene but leave it as it is for the police to easily investigate.

 

If you are at home and find out that a thief broke in, or realize that the thief is still hiding somewhere in your house, do not shout or make any suspicions, just pretend you do not know and try to seek help from the police. In such urgent cases, use signals to communicate with the police to let them know your location. You can use signals such as pretending to order fast food, texting relatives or friends to call 110 for you, etc. Remember the main purpose is to provide your location in the most accurate way.

 

After the police arrive, check what was stolen and what was damaged. Also, if the lock or the window is broken, do not go away until the repair is done. At this point, if the house key has been stolen, replace it with a new one.

 

Confirm the damage and send the theft report to the police department and local authorities:

 

When a theft has occurred, you should promptly contact the police to provide necessary information and report your current situation. In addition, when the police arrive, do not forget to check your belongings, list the items stolen and file it as soon as possible. Besides valuable items such as laptops, phones, cash, etc., you also need to check personal items such as stamps, passbooks, passports, insurance cards. medical, credit card, etc. 

 

Deactivate all kinds of bank accounts:

 

In case a thief steals your bank card, you need to quickly contact the bank to deactivate your account as well as to avoid giving the thief enough time to figure out the password and withdraw your money.

 

In case you use an e-wallet, immediately seek help via the hotline or go directly to the office to complete the account deactivation procedure.

 

Useful ways to prevent theft and minimize the damage:

 

Take out fire insurance (including theft damage):

 

To prevent as much as possible loss/damage caused by theft, take out fire insurance. In Japan, this insurance will cover loss/damage caused by theft, not just fire. If your home is damaged by a theft, you will be reimbursed for repairs and partial compensation for the damage under your insurance policy.

 

Therefore, the amount of compensation received from insurance can help you somewhat in difficult times.

 

However, if the missing item is a high-end one, you may not receive compensation if you do not have a receipt at the time of purchase. Therefore, remember to keep the receipt when you buy expensive things.

 

In addition, some items are not compensated, so you should ask for specific coverage at the time of signing the insurance contract.

 

Take measures to prevent theft:

 

Scatter gravel in the garden/around the house:

 

Stepping on gravel will make a unique sound, so if you spread gravel around your house or garden, when a thief breaks in, their footsteps can be easily detected.

 

In addition, you can use special gravel to prevent theft. Regular gravel works just as well, but you can use security gravel for an extra level of guard. Security gravel is made of molten glass. Therefore, it is lighter than ordinary one and the noise will also be louder.

 

Setup sensor light:

 

A sensor light is a device that glows when it reacts to a person or something. By glowing immediately when it comes to contact the intruder, it makes you easily identify the intruder.

 

Install security cameras:

 

By installing security cameras, you can always monitor the area around your house. Thieves often do not dare to break into homes with security cameras because they will be easily detected.

 

However, installing security cameras will cost a lot of money. Currently, many households choose to install fake security cameras to save money and to make thieves give up the idea of breaking in.

 

Use security key:

 

You should also change your normal key to a two-way lock or switch to a high-security key such as a mechanical key.