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Once burgled, one in four chance of it happening again

Paloma Kubiak
Written By:
Paloma Kubiak
Posted:
Updated:
15/02/2017

Burglary victims have a one in four (28%) chance of falling victim again in the same property, according to research from Churchill Home Insurance.

And they have an 8% chance of being burgled two or more times again.

A massive 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.

Despite the increased risk, 1.3 million Brits spent no money on additional security measures after being burgled. A repeat offender would be able to use exactly the same method to get into their property and steal their belongings.

When burglary victims did improve their security, the most popular measures to upgrade were front and back door locks and new windows. The average amount spent by people looking to improve security measures after being burgled is £314.

How they get in

Churchill’s analysis of burglary statistics reveals 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.

Martin Scott, head of Churchill home insurance, said: “Being burgled is traumatic enough if it happens once, yet our research shows there is a genuine chance of it happening again and again. 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.”