National crime statistics show an increase in domestic burglaries – new research from Ageas shows many of us still don’t lock our front door.
Ageas Insurance and The Neighbourhood Watch Trust have released new data to coincide with Home Office National Crime statistics released this month.
The research highlights that domestic burglaries are up 14%. Ageas experts say that this could increase throughout the summer months as the weather starts to warm up and people venture into their gardens or leave their windows open.
The new research from Ageas’s National Crime Prevention Initiative shows that just under one in two adults (47%) don’t lock their front door as a rule when they are at home. And that’s when sneak-in crimes can happen. More than one in ten (13%) only ever lock their front door at bedtime. Ageas also recently unveiled statistics highlighting that homes across the UK display on average £1223 of valuables such as TV’s, other electronic goods, antiques and works of art that are clearly displayed for would-be burglars to see through home windows. Nearly one in five people (18%) said that as much as £2,000 or more worth of valuables could be seen by a passer-by looking through a window. One in three people (35%) said that valuables worth more than £1000 could be seen.
Mark Cliff, Managing Director of Ageas Insurance said: ‘It’s often wrongly assumed that many household burglaries are committed while homes are empty. But canny burglars know that many people assume that by being at home, they themselves are a deterrent and so they take fewer precautions. But an unlocked front door or window can be an open invitation to a burglar while the occupier is distracted by spending time in the garden. With so few people routinely securing their home while they are there it’s no wonder that so many thefts are committed without a forced entry. It’s not about turning your home into a fortress but simply getting into the habit of locking doors and windows, regardless of the period of time the house or room is unattended.’
Roy Rudham, Chairman of The UK Neighbourhood Watch Trust, which gets 15,000 visits to its website each day said: ‘People should treat their homes like they treat their cars – don’t leave valuables on show, lock the doors and make sure you are insured. If you were to lock your home how easy would it be for you to get in? If you can easily gain entry, then a burglar will be in a lot faster than you.’
Top tips for homeowners include ensuring that expensive electronic games, laptops and other valuables are kept out of sight of windows and that all goods are marked with a security pen and properly recorded and photographed. Ageas has teamed up with The Neighbourhood Watch Trust to provide top tips to reducing the likelihood of becoming a target for burglars.
Source : Ageas Press Release
