A quarter of UK residents say that they would not report an unsuccessful break-in at their home to the police, according to new figures from an insurance company. Aviva’s study into burglaries and attempted break-ins found 63pc of UK adults would report an attempted unlawful entry at their home to the police at once. A further 10pc would inform the police only later, when convenient to them. This leaves 27pc of the population who wouldn’t tell the law.
On a less official level, two fifths of residents would tell neighbours of an attempted burglary at their home, while one in five (18pc) would raise the alarm via a community social media group. However, one in 10 would do nothing at all to inform others (see table in notes to editors for further information).
People are more likely to report ‘suspicious’ behaviour than experiences of an attempted burglary on social media channels. More than a quarter (28pc) would post on social community groups if they saw someone acting in a questionable manner – for example, hanging around or taking photos of properties in their neighbourhood. In fact, almost one in ten UK adults (9pc) say that they would post details on social media if they saw someone acting suspiciously in their neighbourhood; but wouldn’t report it to the police.
Attitudes to publicising incidents via social media are mixed. While 63pc of people say they find such posts useful, 24pc believe they are inappropriate, as innocent actions may be misinterpreted.
Sarah Applegate, Insight and Strategy Lead, Global General Insurance, Aviva says: “If a burglary is “unsuccessful” – in the sense that no-one has managed to break in or take belongings – people may think it’s not worth reporting to the police. But by informing the authorities, this may help them to track criminal behaviours and concentrate resources in a particular location. Aviva home theft claims show a 15pc increase during October and November when thieves have the opportunity to hide under the cover of darkness. We’d encourage people to be on their guard and to report any burglaries or attempted break-ins through the official channels and not rely solely on social media to keep people informed.”
The study also found that householders would be less likely to inform the police immediately in the event of an attempted break-in if they have been burgled before: 56pc of inhabitants, compared to 67pc of those who have never been burgled. People living in rural locations (56pc) are less likely to inform the authorities immediately than those living in a suburban area (65pc), if they experience an attempted break-in. The inclination to do nothing is higher among those younger: 13pc of under-25s would do nothing in the event of an attempted burglary, compared to 8pc of over-55s.
The insurer points to official stats; that according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for April 2019 to March 2020, someone was at home in nearly two thirds (64pc) of burglaries, and more than a third (37pc) of residents were aware of the burglary.
