Half of Aussies have installed security upgrades in the past year.
Fearful homeowners have sparked a panic buying spree for home security items in the wake of widely reported youth crimes that have shocked the nation.
New data from Compare the Market has revealed half of homeowners surveyed had installed security upgrades in the past year, while insurance claims for theft were rising.
Fears over crime were the most pronounced in Victoria, where 62 per cent of survey respondents made some form of security improvements this year.
It comes as federal opposition leader Sussan Ley recently labelled Melbourne “Australia’s crime capital” following a spate of attacks involving machetes.
Criminal incidents in Victoria have also risen to their highest level on record.
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Machete attacks have been on the rise.
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But unease about crime attacks and robberies was also high in NSW, with 60 per cent of households ordering security upgrades such as extra locks or CCTV equipment.
This was despite NSW crimes in most categories actually falling over the past two years, according to the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.
Residential robberies and break-ins were down in NSW but, critically, crimes involving trespassing were up 13.1 per cent, which may have contributed to greater vigilance over crime.
Vandalism also remained high: there were 12,953 reported cases of malicious damage to property in NSW.
About 57 per cent of homeowners in Queensland said they had ordered security upgrades to their homes.
The most popular security upgrade nationally was surveillance systems. Others were sensor lights, deadlocks, alarms and swipe cards and digital locks.
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Compare the Market’s David Koch said homeowners should check their insurance. Picture: Brett Hartwig
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Compare the Market economic director David Koch said there was an environment where homeowners wanted to avoid insurance claims through preventive measures.
“Reduce your likelihood of making a claim and your wallet will thank you,” Mr Koch said.
“Insurance might cover you for the cost of replacing valuable items, but you’ll still pay the excess and likely face higher premiums down the track.
“While we can’t stop all theft, we can make it as hard as possible for these mugs to get away with it. Don’t be an easy target.”
Compare the Market’s research showed about one in five national respondents had made at least one home and contents claim in the past five years.
Nearly 18 per cent of those claims related to theft and almost 9 per cent involved vandalism.
Less than 1 per cent the Victorian population was responsible for 40 per cent of state crimes, Crime Statistics Agency data showed.
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Leader of the Opposition Sussan Ley has called Melbourne the country’s “crime capital”. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman
Victoria has largely been associated with high rates of youth crime, but teen offenders accounted for much of the theft and vandalism in other states too.
More than half the robberies in NSW were committed by offenders aged 10-17, according to BOCSAR data.
There were 1685 cases of people breaking and entering residential properties in NSW, with 430, or about 25 per cent, of the offenders in these cases aged 10-17.
It appears the biggest market for buying stolen goods is those aged above 40, who accounted for close to half the charges for “receiving or handling stolen goods”.
The most common times for thieves to break and enter homes was between 12am and 6am.
Crimes involving malicious damage to property occurred more frequently on Friday nights, Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.
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