Irish people may be alarmed to know that 1/5^th of homeowners have been burgled or personally know someone who has been burgled in the last 2 years. In a recent study conducted by Insuremyhouse.iewe found just that 21% of respondents stated that they or someone they knew had experienced a break in. The majority of our possessions reside in our home with opportunist thieves commonly targeting car keys, electronic devices, jewellery etc. The majority of burglaries occur when the home lies unoccupied indicating that would-be criminals may be watching target’s homes in order to establish a pattern and ensure they meet the least resistance possible. While it may be best practice to stow away our most prized possessions in a safe, lock-box or just out of sight; a lot of people don’t feel the need within their locked secure home or may simply become complacent. One thing is certain; a burglary in your home can make you feel very vulnerable and may cause a serious level of emotional distress.

Burglary stats

The latest CSO figures compiled and released in early 2018 have shown 19,092 recorded burglaries across Ireland in 2017, a 3.3% increase from 2016.¹ The greater Dublin area alone accounts for more than half of all break ins. Home Secure Ireland² released a list of other statistics related to break ins;

• Half of all break ins happen between the hours of 5pm – 11pm.
• Only 40% of people set their alarm when they go to bed for the night.
• 46% of homes do not have a working house alarm.

The European international crime survey revealed some more fairly stark and frightening statistics. Namely that in Ireland, car thefts and burglaries are the 3^rd highest per capita in the EU.³

Protecting your home

There are a number of ways in which you can protect your home from potentially becoming one of the above statistics. At Insuremyhouse.ie we have a front row seat to the carnage, emotional distress and financial hit homeowners can take as a result of burglary. Here’s a list of some of the best practices and areas that unfortunate victims sometimes overlook.

1. If you don’t have a home alarm, get a home alarm.
2. Make sure you remember to set your home alarm, especially at night before you go to bed. Even if you have home insurance, you may not be covered if your alarm is inactive at the time of a break in.
3. Lock all doors if you are leaving the house, even on a quick trip.
4. Close and lock all the windows as well just to be safe!
5. Try to avoid leaving a spare key outside under a door mat or flower pot. See if you can organise leaving one with a neighbour instead.
6. Do a regular inventory of your most valuable possessions and take photos. Should the unthinkable happen and you fall victim to a burglary, this will make the claim service much simpler as you won’t need to go digging around for old receipts or documents to prove ownership.

Nobody expects that they will be the ones to fall victim to a burglary until it actually happens. Protecting your home is a no brainer for everyone. As previously stated a break in can cause a serious amount of mental and emotional distress. If you have children it can also hurt them and make them feel uneasy. Everyone should feel safe and secure within their own home.

Here at Insuremyhouse.ie we deal with home insurance and only home insurance. Let us try beat the quote offered by your current home insurer and we’ll give you peace of mind and a sense of security in the process. Call us now on 01 603 2999.

Citations:

1. http://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/crimeandjustice/
2. https://www.homesecure.ie/home-burglary-stats-ireland/
3. http://www.unicri.it/services/library_documentation/publications/icvs/