During this unprecedented time, home security will likely be at the back of most people’s minds as we are having to spend most of the day at home, but perhaps this shouldn’t be the case. Unfortunately the statistics show that it should actually be a top priority, as 58% of burglaries happen when someone is in the home according to research published last year by the UK Office for National Statistics.
This research also revealed some concerning trends emerging. While the number of burglary offences recorded by the police in 2019 stood at 380,567 – a decrease of 4% compared to the previous year – there were worrying increases elsewhere.
- There was a 4% increase in police recorded vehicle offences, taking the number to 441,451, which continues the rising trend that has been seen over the last three years. Often there will be connection between home break-ins and vehicle thefts, if criminals can access keys easily inside the home.
- There was a rise in the number of police recorded robbery offences for the fourth consecutive year, with an increase of 12% to 82,542 compared to the previous year.
According to crime prevention advice published by Police.co.uk, homes are five times more likely to be burgled if there are no security measures in place.
What’s more, less than one in five people (19%) are concerned that their current home will be broken into, according to new data from SimpliSafe. The survey also found that half of correspondents (50%) aren’t worried about being burgled at all, whilst almost a third (31%) said it had never crossed their minds.
- 50% of people in the UK aren’t worried about being burgled
- 31% of Britons have never thought about being burgled
- Only 1 in 5 people are concerned they may be broken into
Jonathan Wall, UK General Manager of SimpliSafe, says: “While the overall decrease in the number of burglary offences recorded is positive to see, what is really concerning is that the number of people who appear to think about their home’s safety very rarely. Although we certainly don’t want to scare people, unfortunately no one is immune to home burglaries or theft.
“When you look at the numbers combined, 81% of people don’t pay their home security the attention that they should. Those are unprecedented numbers. We hope to help spark a wake-up call among the people of the UK and ask them to make small but effective changes to protect their home, possessions and loved ones.”
