Annual burglary trends show worrying spike over festive period

The festive period sees residential and commercial crime rates in the UK soar. A combination of factors come together to see the number of burglaries increase by 20% over the winter months. Insurance claims from residential burglaries also increase by 14%. Throughout the year property crime accounts for 72% of all recorded police time, of which 1 in 5 were burglaries.

The reasons for this spike are varied, but it is mainly attributable to a combination of factors: that there are fewer hours of daylight; more properties, whether commercial or residential, are left empty over this period and there is a spike in trade that sees residences and commercial spaces full of expensive goods.

Crime to commercial property

Stock and goods are the most commonly stolen items from commercial properties. With large retailers of over 50 employees experiencing a much higher rate of crime than those with fewer.

Burglars also tend to spend more time in situ when breaking into commercial properties than they do residential.

Crime to residential property

Residential crimes in contrast tend to be a lot quicker with burglars targeting small valuables such as cash/wallets, jewellery, electronics and drugs/medication. These items are easy to carry out of the property, conceal and carry a high sell-on value.

The postcode lottery

The location of a residence has a strong correlation on the likelihoods of it falling victim to a burglary. The 2014 study on 3.1 million insurance claims revealed that 7 of the 10 most burgled postcodes are all to be found in Greater London. Top 10 most burgled postcodes in the UK are:

10.      SE27 – West Norwood; Gipsy Hill, London

9.         UB6 – Greenford; Perivale, London

8.         N18 – Upper Edmonton; Edmonton, London

7.         L22 – Waterloo, Liverpool

6.         L18 – Allerton; Mossley Hill, Liverpool

5.         N2 – East Finchley; Fortis Green; Hampstead Garden Suburb, London

4.         RM8 – Dagenham; Becontree; Becontree Heath, London

3.         N10 – Muswell Hill, London

2.         SE24 – Herne Hill; Tulse Hill, London

1.         M21 – Chorlton-cum-Hardy; Barlow Moor, Manchester

For more information on property crime and how to better protect property, contact CMS Keyholding.

ENDS

For further information about CMS Keyholding call 020 7627 0344 or visit our website at www.cmskeyholding.co.uk

About CMS Keyholding

CMS Keyholding was established in 1989 and is an SIA accredited Company providing professional Keyholding and Alarm Response services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

As a Banham Group Company dedicated to looking after you and your property, CMS have full access to all assets and services offered by our parent company, ensuring our services are fast, premium and efficient. Furthermore, our highly skilled and licensed Key Guards deliver a service that we believe to be unparalleled in this sector.