It\u2019s human nature to leave the house, get to the end of the street and think, \u201cdid I close the garage door?\u201d<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been subconsciously programmed to look after our biggest and most valuable asset, our home, so it\u2019s little wonder we can\u2019t escape the thought of potential home burglary, whatever the actual versus perceived risk might be.<\/p>\n
The Australian Bureau of Statistics\u2019 Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD<\/em>) profiled areas in terms of whether they were deemed advantaged or disadvantaged, with scoring based on incomes and skilled jobs. \u2018Disadvantaged\u2019 areas were 48 per cent more likely to experience break-ins and 29 per cent more likely to have attempted break-ins compared to \u2018advantaged\u2019 areas.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Northern Territory had the highest (1.5 per cent) rate of burglary compared to New South Wales recording the lowest (0.3 per cent). Three quarters of break-ins were at residential premises, with 62 per cent reporting property had been stolen.<\/p>\n Number of victims of unlawful entry with intent as a proportion of state\/territory populations in 2020<\/strong><\/p>\n Source: Savvy – Australian Home Burglary and Security Statistics 2021<\/p>\n Canstar\u2019s finance expert, Steve Mickenbecker, said lockdowns and working from home conditions have been a factor in the lowering of burglary rates, as well as pet ownership.<\/p>\n \u201cHigher rates of pet ownership during COVID and lower burglaries looks to be no coincidence, suggesting that dogs continue to be a do-it-yourself home security system.\u201d<\/p>\n A pandemic upside <\/strong><\/p>\n Not surprisingly, lockdown restrictions and working from home conditions not only reduced the spread of the virus but also the number of burglary victims.<\/p>\n For the 2019\/20 financial year, break-ins were at their lowest in almost 30 years, with a steep 23 per cent drop from the previous year with just over four per cent of households (423,900 properties) experiencing an actual (2.4 per cent) or attempted (1.9 per cent) break in.<\/p>\n This data doesn\u2019t provide a full snapshot of burglaries, with a surprising 11 per cent of break-ins not reported to police. Reasons varied, from 23 per cent of victims who thought the incident was either \u2018too trivial or unimportant\u2019 to 16 per cent believing there was \u2018nothing police could do\u2019.<\/p>\n Bill Tsouvalas, Managing Director of Savvy said a positive to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic was falling home burglary figures.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough we believe it will never happen to us, it could be just a matter of time, so never be complacent.\u201d<\/p>\n It takes a village <\/strong><\/p>\n If property wasn\u2019t stolen from the break-in, the second highest consequence was property damage and, more frighteningly, 12 per cent of victims had contact with the intruder.<\/p>\n If you do suspect an intruder in your home its encouraged to not confront them but to contact police immediately. Don\u2019t touch anything and create a list of the items you know are missing.<\/p>\n A recent study by the University of Sydney asked if people were worried about being a victim of crime.<\/p>\n There were 43 per cent of respondents worried about crime and 22 per cent specifically about home burglaries.<\/p>\n Women aged 45-59 were the most worried about home invasions with women in general more worried than men. Those aged 25-34 are becoming more concerned, with this age bracket commonly first home and with new home ownership comes new responsibilities and concerns.<\/p>\n Budget Direct\u2019s latest Home Burglary survey<\/em> found a quarter of Aussies were more concerned about home invasions in their suburb than the year prior, maybe due to spending more time at home and being more aware of what was happening in their neighbourhood.<\/p>\n Getting to know your neighbours certainly adds protection, with 80 per cent of respondents feeling safer if they knew their neighbours, and 70 per cent if they received advice from local police on how to stay vigilant. Only a fifth of Aussies know about their local Neighbourhood Watch program.<\/p>\n \u201cOur livelihoods and houses are our most valuable assets, so we should do all we can to protect ourselves, our homes and property and most importantly, to reduce crime, we need to remain socially connected to our neighbours and communities – it\u2019s good for us too!\u2019 Mr Tsouvalas said.<\/p>\n \u201cStaying close to neighbours and letting them know when you are going to be away from the house for an extended period is also an age-old safeguard against burglaries,\u201d Mr Mickenbecker added.<\/p>\n Security key <\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the high level of concern over potential burglaries, it is perhaps surprising in this digital age that only 32 per cent of households use home security cameras and only 27 per cent use alarm systems, with traditional non-electronic methods still the most popular (locks, gates and security screens).<\/p>\n Tools (17 per cent) were high on the list of items that were stolen, narrowly surpassed by money\/purse\/wallet at 19 per cent and personal items at 25 per cent. Sporting equipment and computer equipment rounded out the top five items thieves look for.<\/p>\n To reduce your risk of break-ins, Savvy recommends the following:<\/p>\n Reporting:<\/strong> Even if it is attempted, or you feel it was \u2018unimportant\u2019 or not worth making an insurance claim, it is worth reporting it and detailing the incident to police purely to assist the police in solving crimes, catch perpetrators (especially repeat offenders), potentially recover goods stolen and track crime trends.<\/p>\n Rebranding:<\/strong> Engrave your details on goods, especially tools, and keep them secure in a locked shed.<\/p>\n Good neighbours:<\/strong> Get to know your neighbours and keep an eye out for each other\u2019s properties for suspicious activity. Find out when they are away to bring in bins and empty the letterbox.<\/p>\n Safe and secure:<\/strong> Keep your house secure with locked doors and windows, install a home security camera or alarm and sensor lights.<\/p>\n Safe houses<\/strong><\/p>\n The Darling Downs-Maranoa region is Queensland’s safest area in regard to property crime. Brisbane\u2019s western suburbs are the safest, from northwest suburbs including The Gap<\/a> to Moggill <\/a>in the southwest via Indooroopilly <\/a>and the Centenary suburbs.<\/p>\n The Sunshine Coast has a higher proportion of \u2018lower than average risks\u2019 suburbs (27 per cent) than the Gold Coast, which has none.<\/p>\n Sydney suburbs north of the Harbour Bridge are the safest for property crime, including the upper and lower north shore to Hornsby<\/a>, Northern Beaches and Ryde<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Southern Highlands and Shoalhaven region,\u00a0which takes in regional centres such as Nowra<\/a>, Bowral <\/a>and Batemans Bay<\/a>, has the highest proportion of \u201clower than average risk\u201d suburbs (38 per cent). Sydney\u2019s eastern suburbs\u00a0have a higher proportion of \u201clower than average risk\u201d suburbs (41 per cent) compared to the\u00a0inner west\u00a0(35 per cent).<\/p>\n In Victoria, Warrnambool <\/a>and southwest Victoria\u00a0are regarded as the safest regions in the state, including regional centres along the Great Ocean Road such as Apollo Bay<\/a> extending to Colac <\/a>and Casterton<\/a>. Melbourne\u2019s outer-east\u00a0suburbs rank highest in the metropolitan area, extending from Doncaster East<\/a> to Belgrave <\/a>and Lilydale<\/a>.<\/p>\n The\u00a0South Australian outback\u00a0is the safest region in the state for property crime (48 per cent), while Adelaide Central<\/a> and Hills\u00a0has the highest proportion of \u201clower than average risk\u201d suburbs (28 per cent).<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n![\"Burglary](\"https:\/\/www.apimagazine.com.au\/media\/1001620\/burglarygraph.jpg\")
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