A new report by product and service directory company Approved Index, reveals which London boroughs face the highest risk of being burgled.
By using Met Police crime mapping data, the ranked list shows that households in Barnet, in North London, have suffered 1,844 break-ins during a period covering the past 11 months. When this figure is divided by the total number of homes in the borough, Approved Index were able to compare this with the rest of London.
Unsurprisingly, it was discovered that the adjacent boroughs of Haringey and Enfield were the second and third areas most at risk. North and West London took up much of the top ten, with Kensington & Chelsea, Camden, Islington, Hammersmith & Fulham and Westminster all appearing in the upper regions of the list.
Since April 2016, there have been approximately 20,000 burglaries in total, at an average cost of £2883 to each household. Fixing or replacing damaged fixtures and fittings is typically the reason for this additional bill. Yet burglary rates do appear to be failing, according to the Met. This figure has dropped by 4.7% in the twelve months between 2016, when compared with the previous calendar year.
This decrease is mostly due to increased vigilance by local police authorities and significant advancement in home security technology.
““The Met and local authorities have heavily invested in MetTrace [kits for residents to mark their property] and other crime prevention techniques, such as targeting known offenders and known handlers of stolen goods, and this has all contributed to reduction of burglary,” said Sean Wilson, borough commander for Barking and Dagenham.
Experts have also commented that once someone has suffered a burglary, or if a neighbour or family member has experienced similar, installing an alarm system is often the next step taken. The alarm raised by the ringing bell usually deters a burglar, as the likelihood of it being investigated by someone is far greater. The opposite remains true of empty properties that have no alarm attached.
The use of CCTV is also on the rise, as this allows people to investigate remotely if a text message is received when the alarm has been activated. The hope is that figures across London will continue to fall thanks to the concerted efforts of the Met, Neighbourhood watch schemes and investment in sophisticated home security technology.
Sources
http://www.approvedindex.co.uk/cctv-cameras/london-burglary-statistics