Did you know that the average burglary in England costs the victim at least £3,000? What’s more, the chances of your goods being returned and the offenders being brought to book are extremely slim.
According to figures from the Government-run Crime Survey for England and Wales in 2019, 60% of burglaries were successful. At the same time, depressing statistics from the Metropolitan Police reveal that just over 3% of burglars are actually convicted.
Last year, in the West Midlands, it was reported that the police only managed to solve one in every 20 burglaries and, over a six-month period, they had written off more than 12,000 break-ins. One local MP went so far as to say that the police had lost control of crime in the region.
Based on these figures, the only conclusion one can reach is that the odds are heavily stacked in favour of the criminals!
Without getting into the rights and wrongs of the current environment in which we live, these are worrying statistics as far as home security is concerned. Across large swathes of Middle England – throughout Buckinghamshire, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Oxfordshire, in cities such as Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and Birmingham - the need for home security has never been greater.
What is indisputable is that it is far better to prevent a crime from happening in the first place, rather than facing the unpleasant fall-out after the event. Yet, hindsight is a wonderful thing – and it certainly seems to apply as far as alarm systems are concerned.
We have lost count of the number of clients for whom we have installed a home security system AFTER they have been broken into. Almost without fail, they tell us that they’d wished they’d made the investment BEFORE the burglary, rather than since. Understandably, however, people feel that it won’t happen to them.
That said, it is often the case that a homeowner will take affirmative action if a break-in occurs nearby. Maybe the next-door neighbour’s unprotected property is targeted. Often, this will prompt a re-think. “If it’s happened next door, it might happen to us – we’d better get an alarm installed,” is a natural thought process. As we always say, you can never be certain, but leaving things to chance isn’t always the wisest decision.
So, as we enter this new decade, as much as we might prefer to put money aside for something more exciting – like a lovely holiday - making an investment in an affordable home security system should perhaps be of greater priority. How would you feel, for instance, if you came back from two sun-soaked weeks in the Caribbean and your unalarmed home had been trashed? What price would you put on avoiding a nasty surprise like this?
Current crime figures might not make pleasant reading, but wouldn’t you feel better knowing that you weren’t leaving yourself vulnerable and potentially becoming a statistic in the future?
We should all have the right to feel safe in our homes. As 2020 gets underway, our continued mission is to ensure that homeowners across the country feel that their families and loved ones feel secure and protected.
So what sort of system would suit your circumstances? Next time, we’ll be discussing the options that are available to you.
In the meantime, however, if you have any concerns about your current home security arrangements and you live in conurbations such as Birmingham, Wolverhampton or Coventry or the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Gloucestershire and Buckinghamshire, our highly experienced team at Justice Fire and Security can provide all the guidance you require. For more information, call your local office or our main switchboard on 0845 468 0927.
