22 per cent of break-ins occur while a family member is at home

Announcement posted by ADT Security 16 Nov 2010

ADT Security releases findings from its inaugural Secure Homes report

Almost a quarter (22%) of residential break-ins occur while a family member is at home, according to alarming new research findings announced today by ADT Security.

Conducted in October 2010, the inaugural Secure Homes report surveyed more than 2000 homeowners and renters in both metropolitan and regional Australia. Among the key findings, 29% of respondents reported they had been the victim of a break-in - 8% of them in the last 12 months.

Despite this, the majority of Australians (73%) don’t perceive home burglary to be a problem in their area, a finding that was echoed by the relatively small uptake of more advanced security measures such as monitored home alarms, video surveillance, intercoms and keypad entrys.

“The humble lock and key was the home protection measure of choice for most Australians (93%) in front of smoke alarms (78%) which are compulsory throughout the country,” said ADT Security’s Managing Director Mark Norton.

“Among the surprise findings, respondents had great affection for guard dogs (22%), which were used almost as widely as home alarms (24%). Motion sensing lighting was also popular (20%).”

Respondents cited ongoing cost and ease of use as their primary considerations when deciding on which security measures to use. For those that had been a victim of a break-in, 65% upgraded or increased their security measures following the incident while 35% didn’t change a thing.

On the topic of home alarms, just 11% said they had a monitored alarm, while 13% relied on a standalone system. When survey participants were asked if they investigated or called the police when they heard an alarm in their local area, 69% said they would do nothing – a worrying statistic which Norton says highlights the benefits of monitored alarm systems.

“The purpose of an alarm is to trigger a response, but it’s understandable that the average person would prefer to avoid the risk of confronting a potentially dangerous situation. With an ADT monitored alarm system, once an alarm is activated a signal is sent to our 24 hour response centre where trained operators identify the cause and contact the owner to verify the situation. If the situation demands, ADT can then contact police to investigate further. In this way, monitored alarms also help ensure police resources are used effectively, reducing the number of false alarms they have to attend to.”

In addition to providing a nationwide profile of property crime, the research aimed to explore community perceptions of safety, major concerns about break-ins and the emotional effects of victimisation.

In all states and territories except the Northern Territory people living in regional areas felt safer than their city-living counterparts. Across the country, during the day while family members were at work was identified as the time most feared a break-in would occur (40%).

The survey results also indicated homeowners and renters are now just as worried about identity fraud (62%) as they are about the threat of violence (61%) and theft or vandalism of property (60%). This finding was further supported by respondents citing personal records (75%) and personal computers/laptops (69%) as the two items they would be most concerned about being stolen. Jewellery (28%), cash (33%) and home theatre equipment (22%), typically viewed as the most attractive items for burglars to steal, featured much further down the list.

Of those who had experienced a break-in, many said it had reduced their levels of trust in people (40%), they felt ongoing anxiety (34%) and stress (31%), had difficulty sleeping (16%) or could no longer be alone at home (8%).

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ABOUT THE SURVEY
ADT Security commissioned leading online market research panel Pure Profile to conduct this survey of 2000 homeowners and renters located throughout metropolitan and regional Australia during October 2010.

ABOUT ADT SECURITY
With more than a century’s worth of experience, ADT Security is the world’s largest electronic security company, providing electronic security solutions to more than seven million residential, commercial and retail customers worldwide. ADT Security’s products include alarm systems and integrated security applications that link access control, CCTV, electronic article surveillance and source tagging systems. www.adtsecurity.com.au