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Watch out for the neighbours these holidays

17 Dec 2009

Download the full media release here.

Auckland – 17 December 2009 – The Christmas season traditionally brings another spike in home burglaries, but AA Insurance hopes that more neighbourly co-operation and communication will keep thieves at bay these holidays.

The 2009 AA Insurance Home Index asked what steps people think most effective at keeping their homes safe when they’re away. The most popular measure at 32 percent is asking someone to collect their mail and keep an eye on the house, up from 20 percent last year. Usefully, 86 percent said they know the names of their neighbours. Of those who had experienced a break-in, 83 percent warned their neighbours afterwards about it.

AA Insurance’s average claim amount for a home burglary is about $4,000, based on claims data from September 2007 to September 2009.

“With that much at stake it’s worth taking steps to protect your property,” says Martin Fox, Deputy General Manager, AA Insurance. “There’s no doubt that good neighbourly communication can help reduce property crime – and talking to the neighbours is free!”

“Let your neighbours know when you’re going to be away, ask them to collect the mail and keep an eye on the place, and let one another and the police know if you see suspicious behaviour,” says Martin. “If you have an alarm system, it may be worth adding a trusted neighbour to the call list, especially if the neighbour is often at home and will hear your alarm anyway. And make sure you have each other’s mobile phone numbers.”

The AA Insurance Home Security Index also identified other trusted measures against burglary including arranging a house sitter (25 percent), activating an alarm (24 percent), automatically activating devices like lights, television or radio (12 percent), and leaving a light on in the house (6 percent).

Burglaries on the rise

“In August 2009 we saw the biggest spike in burglaries in five years with more than twice what we would regularly expect,” says Martin. “As these recent home claims demonstrate, we’re seeing a trend in real brazenness from burglars, so we’re advising people to report any suspicious behaviour to the police – and keep talking to the neighbours about what’s going on.”

  • A man was driving home down his shared driveway when he met another car travelling the opposite direction. He pulled over to let the other car through, smiling at the unfamiliar driver. He got home to realise that he had just waved at the burglar driving off with his belongings. Unfortunately by the time he realised what had happened the burglar had driven off and the opportunity to take the thief’s number plate had passed.
  • A woman was cleaning upstairs when she heard noises downstairs. A thief had entered her unlocked front door and was loading a pillow case with her belongings. She chased him out and called the police immediately.
  • A woman was gardening behind her house and had the front and back doors open airing out the house. A thief walked into her house and stole her handbag and keys.

Security measures

Asked what security measures people actually have in their home, 28 percent of respondents said deadlocked external doors, 22 percent said window locks, 22 percent said an alarm, 10 percent said a safe or secure area for storing valuables and 7 percent said a peephole at the front door. However, 8 percent of those surveyed had none of these security measures.

There has been a decrease in the number of people who said they have left house keys in obvious places such as under doormats and pot plants, down from 26 percent in 2008 to 19 percent in 2009. However, more people say they’ve left the doors unlocked when they should have been locked, up to 43 percent in 2009 from 35 percent in 2008.

Some 70 percent of respondents say they always leave lights or the television on when going out at night, and 69 percent say their answerphone does not indicate when the house is vacant. And while 48 percent of those surveyed say they are apprehensive when going away on holiday because of the possibility of burglary, there’s a low level of confidence in setting alarms. Some 45 percent say they sometimes go out without turning the alarm on, and 39 percent say they don’t investigate or call the police when they hear a home alarm going off.

Burglary claims by city

Auckland Central accounts for over a quarter of all burglary claims received by AA Insurance. The top ten cities account for over 60 percent of all contents claims lodged with AA Insurance. Ranked in order of claims per hundred contents policies, they are:

1. Auckland Central
2. Auckland South and East
3. Hamilton
4. Rotorua
5. Wanganui
6. Te Awamutu
7. Palmerston North
8. Christchurch
9. Marton/Dannevirke
10.Gisborne

Key contacts

Melodie Vickars

Position: Marketing and Communications Manager, AA Insurance

DDI: (09) 966 8549

Mobile: 021 477 578

Email: communications|at|aainsurance|dot|co.nz

Amelia Macandrew

Position: Corporate Affairs Manager, AA Insurance

DDI: (09) 966 8445

Mobile: 021 452 777

Email: communications|at|aainsurance|dot|co.nz

Gavin Ogden

Position: Botica Butler Raudon Public Relations

DDI: (09) 303 3862

Mobile: 021 403 503

Email: gavino|at|botica|dot|co.nz