Don't be a victim of distraction burglars

It was recently announced that domestic burglary figures rose last year for the first time in six years. Burglars will of course employ a variety of techniques to gain entry to a property to carry out their crime. But one technique which seems to be on the increase is the distraction burglary.

According to figures produced by Sainsbury’s Home Insurance, almost three million of us believe that we have been targeted by criminals attempting to gain entry by pretending to be someone they are not, with the sole purpose of stealing from us.

Distraction burglars are imaginative in their guises and the stories are normally extremely plausible. Some will be wearing a “uniform” and pretend to be from a utility company or a charity. Others will pretend to be selling something or even that they are a police officer. Some will pretend to be in an emergency situation where they have to come in to your home to make an urgent phone call. Some may have an accomplice attempting to break in to the back of the property whilst you are kept talking at the front door. Others act single-handedly.

Historically, older people were the prime target but the 16 to 24 and 25 to 34 age groups also report an alarming number of encounters with distraction burglars. As far as areas are concerned, London is by far the worst place for this crime.

Many people feel too embarrassed to report the incident but Sainsbury’s Home Insurance warn that householders who suspect that they have been targeted should report the matter to the police or risk invalidating their home insurance policy.

For hints on how to avoid falling prey to distraction burglars see the Home Office website.