According to research compiled by home insurance provider Confused.com the sock drawer is the top hiding place for valuables in the home. Of the 2,000 people surveyed, more than a fifth, 21 per cent, had been a victim of burglary.
On average, Brits estimate their home contents to be worth more than £38,000 however, they are still using obvious places such as on top of the wardrobe, under the bed, or in bedside tables for hiding their valuable items.
There is no surprise that the British Crime Survey (BCS) suggests burglaries in UK homes rose by 14pc in 2010-2011 compared with the previous year, when householders are not being creative in their approach to keeping their valuables away from the eyes of potential thieves.
Although the latest figures from Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that comparing 2010/11 with 2011/12 police recorded that there has been a decrease of 5% in domestic burglaries, homeowners still need to understand the importance of keeping their home security and contents safe.
The Safe Shop interviewed Michael Fraser a Home Security Expert about the recent Confused.com survey, he offers his advice on home security to homeowners, for more details about Mr Fraser – click http://sthmanagement.co.uk/clientprofile.asp?id=8.
What were your initial thoughts on the confused.com survey?
I wasn’t surprised at all. So many people don’t take home security seriously unless they know or hear about someone who has been burgled, or someone within the neighbourhood or close proximity has been burgled.
If you were to commit a burglary where would be the first three places you would look for valuables within the home?
1.The kitchen – this is where most people keep their post, whether it’s in the drawers or on the worktops. It allows for the burglar to easily clone the homeowners by gathering all their personal information: bank details, car details and ID documents.
2.Upstairs: preferably the bedroom – begin by kicking the bed over as many people hid their valuables under the bed or within the bedding.
3.Downstairs cupboards – to find any hidden personal documents of use, money and generally expensive gadgets or items that can be easily sold.
Did you ever have any burglaries that were unsuccessful as the homeowner had used a safe or secure deposit box to store their valuables?
It was very rare for homeowners to use a safe. On Beat the Burglar, I found that many homeowners would only go for domestic safes which were normally just stored in a cupboard as opposed to being fixed or bolted to the floor or wall. This meant that burglars could either take the domestic safe with them to open once out of the property or they would simply drop the safe on the ground which would move the elements inside breaking the safe open.
There are steps that can be taken to prevent a burglary, from locking windows and doors to storing valuables in a secure safe. Michael advises that all homeowners should store their valuables in the lofts of their homes, as this is at the top of the house, so away from any easy exits. He goes on to say that homeowners should store luggage bags in their lofts (as opposed to on top of their wardrobes) with their most valuable belongings in them, securing with a lock or tying the zips together.
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