2018 Crime Report from Budget Insurance reveals that despite rising crime levels, many everyday crimes are going unreported
Four in ten Brits simply don’t bother to report everyday crimes such as car break-ins and vandalism to their home, according to a new report.
Researchers found that 42 percent of adults who have been a victim of home or vehicle crime in the last 12 months have not contacted their local police about the incident.
The poll found 28 percent felt the police wouldn’t be able to do anything to help, and 17 percent who had experienced theft said they knew they would never get their belongings back so there was little point.
A further nine percent felt the police should be concentrating on more serious offences.
One in twenty claimed they were far too busy to alert their constabulary and many parents didn’t want to scare their children, the poll by Budget Insurance found.
The nationwide study into perceptions and experiences of crime in the UK revealed that three quarters (73 percent) of Brits believe that crime is on the increase in their area, while 29 percent admit to losing sleep worrying about crime.
The findings are in line with the latest ONS crime statistics, published in January, which showed a 22 percent rise in vehicle theft, a 29 percent increase in robbery offences and an eight percent rise in burglaries.
According to the study concerns over policing levels are widespread, with a staggering 86 percent of people surveyed believing that the police do not have enough resources to tackle crime effectively.
However, almost half (48 percent) believe that they continue to do their best in very difficult circumstances. Close to four in ten (37 percent) say more police are needed.
Over a third of adults said they’d be happy to pay more council tax to provide more police patrols in their local area – with 26 percent suggesting they would pay up to £50 a year extra, and nine percent saying they’d pay even more than that.
However, the majority (55 percent) say central government should provide more money for policing. Just eight percent of respondents feel there are currently enough police patrols.
The data also revealed that many Brits shoulder some of the blame for property and vehicle crime, with 35 percent admitting they have left windows open in their house, 25 percent admitting they have left their car unlocked overnight, and 19 percent saying they have gone out and left their front door unlocked.
A further 14 percent have left their car windows open, while more than one in ten (12 percent) have left valuables on view in their car. Almost half (45 percent) say it’s hard to remember to be vigilant at all times.
Anna McEntee, Director, Budget Insurance, said: “We’re struck by the apparent contradiction between many people’s concerns over rising crime and police resources and their casual approach to car and home security.
“It’s important to remember that there are simple steps we can all take, first to secure our homes and cars and second to make sure we put the appropriate insurance cover in place in case our fears ever come to pass.
“We’ve come up with simple, easy-to-follow tips to help people keep their cars, homes and belongings safe, along with a quiz to prompt us to think about how security conscious we are.”
For further information, contact:
Rebecca McKie
BGL Group Press Office
Telephone: 01733 845920/07712 001670
E-mail: rebecca.mckie@bglgroup.co.uk
Notes to editors
About the survey
The research was carried out by Ginger Comms on behalf of Budget Insurance. 2,029 UK residents aged 16+ were surveyed between 12-14 December 2017.
National statistical data is taken from ONS.gov.uk
About Budget Insurance
To date, Budget Insurance has helped 3 million customers across the country find great value home, car, van and life insurance products. For motor and home insurance policies Budget works with a UK network of leading insurers and for Life Insurance policies with a selected insurer so customers can be sure they’re getting great cover, at a great price. Budget Insurance’s comprehensive car and van insurance has been awarded a 5 Star Rating by Defaqto
About BGL Group
BGL Group is a leading digital distributor of insurance and household financial services to 8.9 million customers. The Group is organised in two divisions: Price Comparison and Insurance Distribution and Outsourcing (IDO).
The Price Comparison division offers customers access to a growing range of car, home insurance and breadth products (including life, travel, energy and pet insurance as well as utilities and money products). Comparethemarket.com is one of the UK’s largest and most-loved price comparison sites and LesFurets.com is a leading player in the French market.
In IDO, our partnerships business, Junction, provides car and home insurance through some of the UK’s most well-known brands; BGL Life offers simple, fast, online life insurance through own brands Beagle Street and FiftyLife and via partnerships; Budget and Dial Direct offer tailored car, home, life and van insurance products all supported by our state of the art contact centres.
comparethemarket.com is a trading name of Compare the Market Limited authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Dial Direct and Budget are trading names of BISL Limited and BeagleStreet is a trading name of BGL Direct Life Limited. BISL Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. BGL Direct Life Limited is an Appointed Representative of BISL Limited. All entities are subsidiaries of BGL (Holdings) Limited. Registered Address: Pegasus House, Bakewell Road, Orton Southgate, PE2 6YS. More details are available on www.bglgroup.co.uk