They say that living in the capital means you’re more likely to be affected by crime, especially theft, including burglaries. However new research from MoneySuperMarket has revealed that this perception is not justified.
Data analysed from more than 2.5 million home insurance quotes over the last two years has revealed the postcodes most at risk of burglaries, and London is entirely absent from the top 20.
Happy reading for Londoners…but not so much for Essex who have a couple of postcodes included in the list.
Interestingly, when identifying how residents feel about the burglary rate of their local area, those in and London (28%) and Leeds (31%) are the most likely to believe they live in a burglary hotspot. In reality, the rate is far lower than they may expect.
Emma Garland, data scientist at MoneySuperMarket, commented: “Over the past 12 months, burglars have mostly been targeting suburbs and urban areas, with the safest areas dominated by smaller towns and villages.
“Anyone that has ever been burgled will tell you that the cost goes beyond the value of the items stolen, from the psychological impact of your home being violated to the difficulty of replacing things with sentimental value. That’s why it’s surprising to see that almost half of people haven’t put any additional protection in place for their home, despite one in five believing they live in a burglary hotspot.
“For thieves, it’s all about risk versus reward – if the reward looks likely to exceed the risk, they are going to target that home. Homeowners must do as much as possible to tip the balance in their favour and make things harder for burglars.
You can find out about the burglary rate in your postcode by clicking here – https://www.moneysupermarket.com/home-insurance/burglary-hotspots/