IT’S the most vulnerable time of the year – and 44 per cent of Redditch residents don’t have a burglar alarm at home.
With homes set to be unoccupied for an average of six nights during the festive period, the study carried out by Together Mutual Insurance found that 44 per cent of people living in and around the Redditch area don’t have an alarm system installed in their home.
Of those who do have an alarm installed, 10 per cent admitted that it was either fake, faulty or broken.
Those who do have alarms are also often forgetful in using them – with 20 per cent admitting they simply forgot and 19 per cent finding them too complicated to use.
The old adage of ‘do onto your neighbour as you’d have them do onto you’, also doesn’t quite run true with a fifth of neighbours saying they would ignore their neighbour’s house alarm sounding off while only 23 per cent would spring into action and call the police.
Jon Craven, CEO of Together Mutual Insurance, said: “From the shopping sprees to the overindulgence, Christmas is known as the season to be jolly. But with the nights lasting longer and homes filled with gifts, it’s also an attractive time of year for burglars.
“With so many Brits planning to leave their homes empty it’s shocking to find out there’s a staggering amount of people who don’t have burglar alarms, and even with that those who do they’re not using them.
“The study shows that even with burglar alarms activated it doesn’t deter crafty intruders as 14 per cent of those surveyed still fell prey to attempted and actual burglaries, which only highlights the need for homeowners to get additional home insurance this winter.”
