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Riots make no impression on crime figures at Government website

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

At a time when homeowners across the UK are faced with rises in homeowners insurance premiums based on post code information collated by insurance providers, the latest statistics for August 2011 on the Governments internet crime maps make very interesting reading.

Scenes of mayhem

Of course, August 2011 was the month when many of the UK’s major cities fell victim to looters and rioters in their thousands. Graphic television newsreel showed hundreds of rioters stealing, breaking windows, setting fire to vehicles and assaulting innocent people in dozens of different locations. A quick perusal of the crime figures for the areas concerned on the Government website does not quite reflect the scenes of mayhem reported on news bulletins every night for a week, and in fact, some residents in the areas affected may even consider asking their home insurance providers to consider lowering their premiums as crime rates actually fell.

Crime rates drop at riot epicentres

Take St Anne’s Square in Manchester for example. Television cameras captured images of youths looting, setting fire to cars and pelting the police with rocks and stones at the height of the riots, yet according to the crime map for August the square enjoyed its lowest level of crime in four months! The Bullring in Birmingham was the setting where mobs in their hundreds sent horrified shoppers fleeing for cover as they set about wrecking the centre. In all police made over 100 arrests before calm was restored, but once again according to the Government website incidents in August were considerably down on those for July. Similar figures can be found at riot torn areas in London, Bristol, Liverpool and Croydon and one wonders how the police.co.uk website can report such low levels of criminal activity.

It’s all in the figures

Apparently it is all in the interpretation of statistics! According to a police spokesman the Home Office guidelines would deem a couple of dozen looters ransacking one store as just one crime! The judges who sat up all night handing down sentences to those caught may view it differently, as would the terrified bystanders caught up in the events. However, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Peter Fahy, says it is silly of us to judge the impact of the riots by the number of individual crimes that took place, I wonder if insurance actuaries take the same view.

Tags: crime, Homeowners insurance, London riots, Looters, Riots
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Contrasting figures but all agree crime rate is too high

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

The continued necessity to have good home insurance was once again highlighted this week with the release of the latest batch of crime figures by the British Crime Survey (BCS).

Massive increase questioned

According to the report, based on interviews with members of the public, house burglaries in the UK went up by a massive 14% and violent crime by a disturbing 6%. Incredibly, on the same day as the figures were released by BCS, a report released by the Government based on figures collated by the various constabularies around the country showed crime had fallen in the UK by 8%. The disparity in the two reports had politicians and police chiefs arguing which set of figures were the most reliable.

Are criminals winning the battle?

It seems the disparity may be that the Home Office report accounted for crimes reported to the Police whereas the BCS report asked householders if they had suffered from criminal activity. Whatever the truth both parties accepted that the level of crime was too high and that after a decade of falling levels across the board there is a danger that criminals are once more gaining the upper hand. The BCS report suggested an increase in the overall level by about 100,000.

Hard to compensate for loss

The BCS report did show a disturbing increase in the activities of sneak thieves. The incidence of thieves nipping in to an open door or window and stealing purses, watches, mobile phones and jewellery increased by 10%. It is this type of crime that often proves to be the most distressing for householders. It is often the case that the merchandise stolen in this way is indeed covered by a home contents insurance policy, but the sentimental value of a wedding ring or a photo of loved ones in a purse or wallet just cannot be replaced.

Wait and see

With the prospect of job cuts across the constabularies of England and Wales in the coming months, homeowners across the country will be worried by the increase in house crime at a time when community “bobbies” may become a rarer site. Chief Constables accept they may have to lose up to as many as 20% of their staff, although Home Secretary Theresa May has said there is no reason why “front line policing” should suffer. It may well be we have to wait for 2012 BCS survey to be released before we know who is exactly right in this debate.

Tags: crime, Home Insurance
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National database will be welcomed by the public

Thursday, June 23rd, 2011

Homeowners in the UK will be delighted to know that at long last a national crime database is to be launched. The National Police Improvement Authority (NPIA) will oversee the database that goes live today and it means that over 50 police forces in England and Wales can share information on the activities of criminals.

Database may cover for loss of neighbourhood constable

It will come as a relief to many people who worry constantly about security in their own homes even though they have good buildings and contents insurance. At a time when whole areas are losing their neighbourhood “bobby” the fact that regional forces can share information with each other will reassure property owners to a certain degree that they are not being abandoned.

Serious crime will be prime target

Of course the national database will be seen as a resource for the solving of serious crime primarily, and indeed the idea was first mooted by Lord Bichard in his enquiry into the murders of two young schoolgirls in Soham in 2004. The fact that police forces will be able to identify crime patterns nationwide though, should also help in tracking down criminals who specialise in house crime.

Database access will be vetted

The NPIA will strictly monitor the use of the new database with only about 1 in 100 policemen having access to it. The networked computers will be stored in specially designed “bunkers” that will be thoroughly secured to the point of being windowless, and only people who have been given special passes will be admitted. Each force will be able to decide what information they make available on the database and Policing minister Nick Herbert was quick to reassure civil liberty groups that measures would be put in place to ensure victims of crime were not put at further risk by the process.

System will help in the fight against cyber crime

It is thought the database will also be a big help in the battle against house crime. Many people are now robbed every day from an action that takes place in their home but is probably committed miles away. Online crime is now costing home owners millions of pounds each year and many householders have no idea they have been robbed until they check their bank balances at the end of the month. This database should also identify the fraudsters and scammers that use the internet to trap their victims.

Tags: crime, Cyber Crime, National database, National Police Improvement Authority
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Precious metals high on thieves shopping lists

Thursday, May 12th, 2011

The ever increasing price of precious metals across the world is having a profound effect on crime figures in the UK. Many cases of copper and lead thefts from railway lines and public buildings have hit the headlines over the last few months, now homeowners are being warned to ensure their home owner insurance policies are up to date and fully comprehensive as the thieves target private homes in their quest for easy pickings.

Soaring precious metal prices

The price of gold and silver is at record highs and thieves have not been slow to realise how they can benefit. Watches and other jewellery items are comparatively easy for the burglar to carry away and last month’s British Crime Survey revealed that burglaries across the UK had risen by almost 100,000 compared to the previous 12 months.

High value technology items also targeted

Gold is proving particularly tempting for the thief because of its high value at the moment and homeowners should bear this in mind when getting a home insurance quotation. A lot of families collectively own quite a large amount of jewellery and the hike in prices means that policy cover arranged just a couple of years ago may now be massively undervalued. In the same period, the introduction of a new tier of smart phones and computer tablets costing considerable amounts of cash also means many homes could now be under insured.

Law change required to stop the thieves

The problem for homeowners and police forces is the ease in which the criminals can get rid of their ill gotten gains. Selling gold online or on the high street for cash has never been easier, and police officers believe this is encouraging thieves to increase their activities. They are now putting the activities of scrap metal companies under the microscope and believe that the way to discourage the crime wave may be to stop scrap metal transactions being made in cash. It will not be easy and in the meantime homeowners should increase their home security levels and ensure their home insurance providers are giving them the cover they require.

Tags: crime, gold, Home Insurance, precious metals, Theft
Posted in Home Insurance, Possessions Insurance | No Comments »