For the first time in three years, residents of Northern Ireland will be able to enjoy Christmas out of lockdown, which means the risk of home break-ins is likely to increase. CrimeRate data, analysed by CompareNI.com has identified the NI cities most at risk of burglaries this Christmas.*
Throughout the pandemic, when homes were almost permanently occupied, burglaries in Northern Ireland rapidly declined. However, as this is the first ‘normal’ Christmas with no stay at home advice or restrictions in place, there is likely to be a significant spike in people leaving their homes unoccupied. This could carry a higher risk of burglaries, especially in December when homes are filled with valuable presents.
Although the rate of burglaries in Northern Ireland has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, some cities are still experiencing more than others.
Belfast has seen the largest percentage of burglaries of any city in Northern Ireland in the last year, with 4.75 burglaries per 1,000 people.
Belfast has a 46% higher rate of burglaries than the next most burgled city in Northern Ireland, which is Newry, with a rate of 3.26 burglaries per 1,000.
Lisburn is also facing a notable risk of burglaries this Christmas, with the third highest rate of break-ins of all Northern Irish cities at 2.16 burglaries per 1,000 people.
However, some cities have experienced relatively lower levels of burglaries. For example, although Derry/Londonderry is the second largest city in Northern Ireland, it also has the second lowest burglary rate. With just 2.03 burglaries per 1,000, Derry/Londonderry is 57% safer than Belfast.
Bangor is the newest city in Northern Ireland and also the safest for burglary, with a rate of just 1.03 burglaries per 1000 people. Shockingly, Bangor is four times safer than Belfast for burglary and 49% safer than Derry/Londonderry.
Armagh city has the third lowest rate for burglary in Northern Ireland with 2.17 burglaries per 1,000.
Commenting on the figures, Ian Wilson, Managing Director of Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison website, CompareNI.com, says: “Although the data generally shows a decrease in burglaries across Northern Ireland, it is still important to stay vigilant, especially at Christmas when the risk of break-ins is usually significantly higher.
“At a time when the cost-of-living crisis has many families feeling the pinch, additional security equipment may be too expensive. However, there are a number of easy and cost-effective ways to help prevent break-ins this Christmas. Simple measures such as well-lit driveways, keeping valuables out of sight, window locks and lights on timers are all relatively cheap precautions to help reduce the risk of a break-in and will also help keep home insurance costs down.
“Christmas spending is predicted to be less this year but still, gifts are estimated to be nearly £400 per household**, with this in mind, it is important to be aware of what your home insurance covers. Most standard home insurance policies do cover theft of valuables and damage caused by attempted theft but if there are bespoke items that are valued at more than £1,000, they’ll need to be added as a named item to the policy to ensure they’re protected.
“Some insurance providers automatically increase the value of your contents cover over the festive period, normally by about 10%, to take into account the additional presents but its sensible to contact your provider and double check – increasing your cover if needs be.”
Ian has just been awarded a Highly Commended at the Institute of Director’s Young Director of the Year Awards for his work helping households across Northern Ireland find savings. CompareNI.com is Northern Ireland’s largest price comparison website, and has helped over 650,000 users find savings on essentials and everyday household bills such as home insurance, pet insurance and car insurance.
Sources
* https://crimerate.co.uk/northern-ireland
**https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/dec/03/pick-christmas-tree-food-festive-saving-tips
