burglary / robbery / theft
Three crimes of taking.
Theft is the general word for taking what is not yours. Burglary is entering a building unlawfully in order to commit a crime there, usually theft; the crime is complete on entry, even if nothing is taken. Robbery is taking from a person by force or threat. You can have theft without burglary or robbery. A break-in where no one is threatened is a burglary, not a robbery; a purse snatching is a theft or a robbery, never a burglary.
Examples
Use The shop owner reported a burglary: someone had forced the stockroom window, though nothing was missing.
Use A man was charged with robbery for taking a commuter’s phone at knifepoint.
Use The theft of a laptop from an unlocked office went unnoticed until Monday.
Avoid Someone broke in while we were at work, and we reported the robbery to the police. (Change robbery to burglary.)