It’s no surprise that the UK has relatively widespread crime, especially theft. Let’s take a look at the most recent data, and what you can do to protect your home against theft. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) published its newest data in December 2022, around crime reported over the last year. This data is the most recent official figures we currently have access to. So, how common is theft in the UK?
How Many Thefts Are There In The UK?
According to the most recently released ONS data, there were approx. 2,600,000 theft incidents last year. Although this sounds sky high, and believe me it is, that is actually twenty percent below the number of thefts before the pandemic. For the 12 months before, ending on March 20, we saw 3,300,000 thefts.
What Are The Most Common Types of Theft in the UK?
For well over 20 years, the most common form of theft in the UK has been vehicle-related. That covers things like cars and bikes, which is no surprise. In the most recent report, there were 698,000 incidents relating to vehicle theft. The second most frequent form was “other household theft” and domestic burglary.
This is exactly why I created this site – cars and homes are the most obvious targets for most thieves, so it’s absolutely essential that we protect our cars and homes as best we can.
Is Theft on The Rise in the UK?
Based on the ONS data, it actually isn’t. In fact, thefts have declined significantly since 1995, when there were over 11,600,000 reports. yes, nearly 12 million! Moving forward to today’s data, we can see that there has been a decrease since then of over 70%. What’s important to not is this is the government’s own data, and there are other parties whose data tells a different story. Let’s take a look at that.
The Data Isn’t Always Clear on Crime
According to analysis by the Telegraph, they argue that all crimes, including theft, has actually increased. This is based on analysis by the House of Commons Library, which indicates all forms of theft have actually risen. The most notable takeaway from this research is that car theft has increased significantly, to a point not seen in nearly 10 years.
It’s incredibly difficult to cut through this political waffle and weaponised statistics, so unfortunately I will have to leave you to make your own personal conclusion on whether theft is actually increasing or decreasing. There are simply too many factors which remain unclear.
Theft is Common in the UK, but Exactly How Widespread it is Remains Unclear.
Annoyingly, with contradictory data, misleading statistics and a range of journalists defending both sides, as a normal person who simply can’t interpret the immense spreadsheets with nuances only a lawyer could have the patience to dive into, I’m left in an awkward position where the only fair thing to do is say “it depends on who you ask”.
One thing remains very clear though. Theft remains a widespread problem in the UK and has been for decades upon decades. With the police being downright useless in many cases, the safest thing we can do as homeowners is to take it into our own hands as best as possible by securing our property and making it a lot less viable for thieves to walk off with our stuff.
The Cost of Living Crisis Will Likely Have an Effect.
With poverty deepening and more and more people completely out of cash, it would not shock anyone to discover that poverty tends to go hand in hand with theft. With increasing numbers of UK residents becoming desperate thanks to immense inflation paired with an average income which hasn’t risen even close to in line with the increasing costs of living, it’s natural people in desperation will seek ways to remain afloat.
Whether it’s morally right for those in need to steal is not a topic I want to focus on today. You must remember that a large percentage of thefts are committed by organised groups who do it as a career. There’s a big difference between a desperate mother of three stealing a loaf of bread and three armed men stealing a Range Rover.
So, how can we secure our home and vehicle on a budget? Well, there are 3 absolutely vital security improvements you can make, which can completely transform your peace of mind.
How To Secure Your Vehicles
Securing a car against theft may seem like a challenging task. Most of us have to park at least one vehicle outside, and without the benefit of locked storage, it can seem impossible to prevent thieves from stealing our cars. Now although almost all security measures aren’t absolutely 100% theft proof, there are several ways of making your car a lot less of a target. Remember, if your car looks like a real pain to steal and there is an unsecured vehicle which would be much easier to take just around the corner, a majority of robbers will move on and pick the easier option.
1. Use Faraday Pouches (For Keyless Vehicles Only)
If you have a relatively modern car from the last 10 or so years, there’s a very good chance it came fitted with keyless entry. This leaves almost all of these cars susceptible to relay theft, which is a method which tech-savvy criminals can use to steal your car in seconds, even if they don’t have the key. To protect your car against this, invest in a good quality faraday bag such as one of these. Faradays bags are small pouches which you keep your keys in. They block the signal emitted from the key, which stops it from being intercepted by car thieves. This, without a doubt, is the single most effective cheap way to secure your car.
2. Get a Steering Lock
Steering locks are old school, but they really do the job. Using a Stoplock is a great way to secure your car. These steering wheel locks make running off with a car much more difficult, for a number of reasons. They stop someone from being able to steer the car, as the large bar which is locked to the wheel prevents most manoeuvres. They are also bright yellow, so anyone can see that it’s a stolen vehicle being driven around. That is, if the car thief somehow miraculously makes it beyond about 20 feet.
3. Ghost Immobiliser
These are really, really cool. A ghost immobiliser is a completely invisible form of security. It’s an immobiliser which means you can only start the car if you know what buttons to press. These are custom programmed, so your pin could be something completely unique such as the volume buttons or the cruise control button. Since ghost immobilisers are near impossible for thieves to detect, they will be left simply baffled as to why the car won’t start, no matter what they try. This is a genius bit of programming and is a huge innovation in car security. Expect to pay in the region of £500 to get this fitted.
How to Secure Your Home
Home security is essential, and thanks to recent technological innovations it’s easy to massively improve your home’s security. Firstly, I would recommend you install some outdoor security cameras. If you’re interested in the best affordable home security cameras, definitely check my article out here. There are also a lot of fantastic solar powered security cameras on the market these days, and don’t worry – the solar panels actually work, unlike those useless solar garden lights you bought 15 years ago.
In addition to security cameras to act as a deterrent and also catch trespassers, outdoor security lights are a must. These lights are motion detecting, and will switch on as soon any movement it detected. Bright yet energy efficient and cheap, these are an absolute must.
Finally, last but not least, we have Smart doorbells. Using a smart doorbell such as a Ring Doorbell can be really useful for seeing who is outside your front door. They can be configured to send notifications to your phone or smart home device, and are absolutely invaluable when looking to protect your home. Don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with how they work – the Ring does not by default have anything to do with your door locks, so it doesn’t make you vulnerable to someone else unlocking the door without a key.