British households worry about burglary more than any other crime
- Two thirds (67%) of respondents to the Neighbourhood Watch Crime and Community Survey 2021 were concerned about becoming a victim of burglary
- There are evidence-based, simple and effective measures we can all take to reduce our chance of being burgled by up to 50%.
- Victims of burglary are more likely to be re-targete
New research shows two thirds (67%) of people are worried about their home being broken into, yet there are simple, proven measures we can all take to reduce our chances of becoming a victim of burglary by up to 50%.
Ensuring your home has a combination of the WIDE features is proven to be most effective – and can be done in any home on a variety of budgets. Neighbours keeping an eye out for each other is key to reducing burglary, so they have extended the well-known WIDE acronym to WIDE(N).
- W – WINDOWS: Keep your windows locked
- I – INTERIOR: Put interior lights on a timer
- D – DOORS: Double or deadlock your doors
- E – EXTERIOR: Put exterior lights on a sensor
- N – NEIGHBOURS: Keep an eye out for your neighbours
If you have been burgled recently, criminals know what’s in your house and may come back soon or once you have had time to purchase new items. Act soon to avoid being retargeted. Use the WIDEN advice for a combination of simple, yet effective prevention measueres.
To help people feel safer in their homes, Neighbourhood Watch has joined forces with their longstanding premium partner, ERA Home Security, to launch the THINK WIDEN burglary prevention campaign, providing people of all ages and living circumstances with clear guidance on securing their home.
John Hayward-Cripps, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Network, said ‘It is not okay for two thirds of people to fear being burgled. More needs to be done to help people be and feel safer, and when it comes to burglary, prevention is always better than cure. Since 1982 we have been supporting communities to feel and e safer, and we know that by securing your home’s windows, interior, doors, exterior and keeping an eye out for neighbours, we can all give ourselves the bet chance of not being burgled.‘
Throughout 2022, Neighbourhood Watch is celebrating 40 years of community work by hundreds of thousands of volunteers. The first schemes were set up in 1982 to address burglary, and whilst they now address a wide variety of crime types, from modern slavery to cybercrime, they have expert knowledge spanning 40 years providing burglary prevention advice. They are a trusted organisation, with their research showing nearly all (90%) of Neighbourhood Watch members sometimes or usually acting on advice they receive from the charity.
The research also showed that Neighbourhood Watch members are more likely to be satisfied with their personal safety than non-members (70% vs 62%), and the charity believes this is down to the tools, resources and connections it helps local communities to access. Members are more likely to be very satisfied or satisfied with their local area than on members (92% – 88%).
Tower Hamlets Neighbourhood Watch Association 