RACV and Neighborhood Watch are reminding residents in our area to improve their home safety measures and keep their home insurance up to date this year.
The advice follows the latest Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data, which indicates a 15.6 per cent increase in property crime and deception over the past 12 months, with a total of 272,790 incidents.
Recent RACV claims data reveals that in the past two years, about 57 percent of car key thefts have occurred in homes.
Head of Home and Business Insurance at RACV, Kirsty Hayes, stressed the importance of proper insurance.
“It is essential to ensure your home insurance is up to date, with an appropriate level of cover,” Ms Hayes said.
She suggests using a home contents calculator to estimate repair or replacement costs.
RACV and Neighborhood Watch also recommend using the ‘How Safe is My Place’ tool to identify vulnerabilities in properties.
Bambi Gordon, CEO of Neighborhood Watch Victoria, highlights the importance of proactive home security.
“The frustrating reality is we need to do more at protecting our property – a home is burgled in Victoria every 20 minutes, and a third of these burglaries are opportunistic and don’t even require forced entry,” Ms Gordon said.
When Neighborhood Watch Victoria began in 1983, it was residents of new estates who embraced the initiative.
“These young families – English, Greek and Italian – would move to the then ‘new’ Melbourne suburbs and form friendships – some of which still remain today, 40 years later,” Ms Gordon said.
Ms Gordon offers advice on simple but effective measures to deter thieves.
“Keeping valuables out of sight may seem like obvious advice, but many of us will ignore the dangers of leaving keys, wallets and bags in plain sight inside the car or at the front door.”
Victoria residents can join or establish a local neighborhood watch group through their website.