What type of lock do you have on your entrance doors? They could have bumped the lock, an easy method that involves a generic key and the end of a screw driver.
Simply this, or if it was just a simple Yale lock then a credit card does the trick. I was naive and got burgled last year through the same method.
Like you, I got home and unlocked my door and walked through to the lounge to find the flatscreen TV gone along with my girlfriends laptop. They ahd simply slipped the lock to my flat, having somehow got through the front door to the flats (I suspect somebody buzzed them through not knowing who they were....stupid neighbours but I can never prove it).
Its an awful feeling to be burgled, its the shock that it has actually happened to you that got me the most. Call the Police on the non-emergency number, they will come round in an hour or two, dust for prints on your front door (but they wont find any as burglars have a crafty knack to wearing gloves!), take a statement and that will be that and you will never get your stuff back as it is probably down the street or sold already.
Then your next priority will be tto get an emergency locksmith round and install a 5 lever British Standard mortice lock on your door and start thinking about bumping up your security and generally being vigilant.
Warn your neighbours to be vigilant tomorrow, as when i had my flat done the same people came back and did another set of flats about 3 weeks later but on a different annex of the building.
I hate burglars. I mean I really really hate them. It took a while for me to get over being burgled, at least 2-3 months and still now I get nervous leaving the house for a long period. I am always more careful now, have hidden most of my important documents and when I go away I tend to put stuff up in the roof loft, out of sight, etc. you get over it eventually but it left scars with me, that somebody entered my house and went through my stuff. It terrified me for weeks.
I sympathise with you and encourage others to do the same.
