Rise in burglaries means more protection needed for households

Officials from the insurance industry have spoken out recently about the rise in the level of domestic burglaries during the recession, adding that it has become increasingly important for households to protect themselves from this sort of crime by ensuring that their homes are as secure as they can be.

Figures show that the level of domestic burglaries has been rising, and has highlighted the importance of proper security and adequate insurance cover for households.

In the first three months of this year insurance companies paid out more than £100 million to settle insurance claims over this type of crime.

Figures have also shown that between 2007 and 2008 there was an increase of 1 percent in domestic burglaries, with the number of burglaries that took place in the year to March coming in at nearly a quarter of a million.

The increase was the first to be seen in the past six years, and the amount paid out by insurers in the first three months of this year was the highest quarterly amount for five years.

One official from the insurance sector said that it was important for people to ensure that any valuables were put somewhere safe and not just left out for opportunist thieves to take. He said: ‘If customers are aware of the dangers, they remove the easy pickings for the opportunistic burglar.’

Another added that it was vital that households carried out a review of their security to ensure that it was adequate in the current climate, stating: ‘Now is the time to do a review of home security and make sure things are as good as they can be. It may seem selfish, but if you make it difficult for burglars they will simply go elsewhere.’

Many burglars are now also breaking into homes and taking car keys in order to steal the vehicle, so households should also ensure that their car keys are not left out on show, otherwise they could suffer a double whammy with a break in and car theft.

Tags: burglary rise, rise, percent, whammy, insurance sector, recession, crime figures, household theft