Home insurance a must with burglars receiving lenient sentences
Posted on July 17th 2008
Homeowners have been urged to make sure they have home insurance after the independent Sentencing Advisory Panel recommended more lenient punishment for burglars.
The panel suggested that burglars who receive prison sentences of less than a year should instead be given community punishments, prompting fears that offenders may see this as a green light to step up their efforts.
Virgin Money conducted research which suggests that 22 per cent of people do not have home insurance, while 38 per cent do not possess contents insurance - meaning many households could now be seriously vulnerable.
Grant Bather, spokesman for the company, said: "Relying on insurance and simple security measures are the best ways to protect yourself and give peace of mind."
The research showed that just 17 per cent of people have an alarm, only 37 per cent possess window locks and a meagre four per cent are members of neighbourhood watch schemes.