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Insurance brokers dealing with stressed clients on the back of a burglary will want to ease their pain – however, there is a harsh reality they need to know.
To make sure that your clients are well covered in the future, it’s vital to inform them that the chance of being a burglary victim more than once is actually quite high – and they need to take appropriate security measures as a result.
According to new research from Churchill Home Insurance, there is a 28% chance of a burglary victim being hit again at the same property – indeed 8% even have the chance of being burgled two or more times at the same property.
Its research has revealed that some 10.2 million adults, one in five Brits, claim to have been a victim of burglary, with those in London (26%), the North West and Yorkshire and Humber (both 25%) most likely to have been affected.
Yet despite the high likelihood of repeated attacks on their property and belongings, almost one in 10 of those who have been burgled say they did not use the opportunity to upgrade any of their existing security systems, deciding instead to rely on measures which had already failed to protect their home. A repeat offender would be able to use exactly the same method to get into their property and steal their belongings.
“Being burgled is traumatic enough if it happens once, yet our research shows there is a genuine chance of it happening again and again,” said Martin Scott, head of Churchill home insurance. “We would encourage everyone to consider the weak points in their home security, whether they have been burgled or not and ideally install highly visible deterrents such as CCTV, motion activated lights and burglar alarms. Burglars avoid targeting properties that are difficult to enter and leave, so don’t be an easy target for them.”
Churchill’s analysis of burglary statistics also revealed that successful criminals are most likely to enter through the front of the property (47%), followed by gaining access through the back (38%) and the side of the property (6%). Of greatest concern is the fact that more than a quarter (26%) of burglaries occurred as a result of a door not being locked, which would almost certainly invalidate any insurance cover your client may have.
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