Insecticide sprays can be used to control cockroaches. You can call out a professional and pay for the service to your home. You can also spray yourself with an insecticide you buy at a home center. You have to make sure you get all the hiding places, cracks, crevices, baseboards and under sinks. When they ingest the powder it kills them.
Boric acid is fairly safe to use and handle.
Ingested in large quantities can make a human sick too. Cockroach bait houses are also effective as a supplement to spraying. You must prevent cockroaches from entering your house by sealing up any holes and cracks along baseboards, door frames and windows. Seal up the space around water and sewer pipes, and electrical and telephone lines where they come inside. Keep all piles of debris and mulches and compost piles away from your house.