The FINANCIAL -- Claims data published by Hibernian Aviva, Ireland’s one of the leading insurers, has revealed some major challenges to home safety as crime levels increase throughout the country.

According to the Hibernian Aviva claims data, there has been a 3% increase in breaking and entering claims this year. Interestingly break-ins are more likely to occur on a Saturday and least likely to occur on a Sunday.
 
The claims data also reveals a 2% increase in property theft claimants with Dublin showing the highest number of property theft claimants followed by Cork and Kildare. Leitrim is the safest county and has the lowest number of property theft claimants. The Central Statistics Office also recently published data revealing an increase of 6.7% in burglaries across the country with a total of 6,236 recorded burglary and related offences.

Commenting on the claims data, Michael Brennan, Hibernian Aviva’s risk management expert, says: “The claims data reveals a real need for crime prevention among Ireland’s consumers and at Hibernian Aviva we advise both consumers and businesses alike to ensure they have maintained burglar alarms installed. We also recommend businesses consider advanced technology such as CCTV monitoring via the web. This means when the alarm is triggered, the monitoring centre has real time footage of the intruders and can communicate with and warn the intruders that they have been detected, while simultaneously alerting the Gardai.

“It is also important that people lock windows and doors and have adequate perimeter security around the property grounds such as fencing, walls and access gates. A lot of burglaries are opportunistic and result from thieves walking or driving around an area and seeing a house or business that is not secure, for example it may have an open window. Wall mounted security lights triggered by movement is another effective deterrent to break-ins."

To help protect the safety of Ireland’s consumers and to encourage them to practise greater safety and security, Hibernian Aviva offers home insurance discounts of 10% to 15% to those who use an alarm system that it is of an approved standard. Intruder alarms that are monitored receive the higher 15% discount. “We hope that by linking safety and security to significant reductions in insurance premiums we will incentivise Ireland’s homeowners to safeguard their home,” says Michael Brennan.

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