Brits fail to check home security

Thursday, 05 February 2009 08:00

Despite a jump domestic burglaries, Brits are not good at checking home security, a survey has found.

The Home Office has released figures showing domestic burglaries rose four per cent in the three months to September 2008, the largest jump in seven years.

However, research from Legal & General shows that although 90 per cent of households have a smoke alarm, 85 per cent have window locks and 72 per cent good quality door locks, not everyone checks these measures are working.

Of the 37 per cent who are putting off home maintenance, one in five, 21 per cent, are delaying plans to repair broken or malfunctioning window and door locks and 11 per cent are ignoring faulty alarm systems.

Ruth Wilkins, head of communications for Legal & General's general insurance business, said: "A few simple checks could mean that our properties are safer.

"Installing an intruder alarm, good quality locks or living in a Neighbourhood Watch area are all good preventative measures to help keep our homes secure.

"Plus, using approved security measures could also result in a discount on the cost of household insurance cover."

The statistics highlight how important simple security measures can be.

The Crime in England and Wales 2007/2008 report found that households with no home security measures were around ten times more likely to have been victims of burglary than households where there were simple security measures such as deadlocks on doors or window locks (25 per cent compared with 2.3 per cent).

Legal & General has produced a guide to help householders improve security in their home.

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