1 in 10 men would use a gun to protect their home - if faced with a burglar
[author:Jim Buchanan Public time:Aug 23, 2006] |
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Despite the threat of prosecution, British homeowners are prepared to protect their homes and family from burglars using extreme measures. New research1 from Micromark prior to National Home Security Week (www.homesecurityweek.co.uk), which starts next week, shows 8 out of 10 people would use anything to hand to protect their homes if faced with an unwanted intruder. Men would go even further – 1 in 10 men would use a gun and 1 in 8 would use a knife.
There is clear support for some homeowners who take the law into their own hands: an amazing 83% of respondents think it’s unfair to prosecute people who protect their property with a weapon. This dangerous and high-risk approach is not to be condoned – and the clear aim of National Home Security Week is to increase awareness of the effective preventative measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of intruders gaining entry in the first place.
The Home Office reports the cost of burglary to the nation to be £2.8billion each year2. Official figures put the number of burglaries anywhere between 645,0003 and 880,0002 – or up to 100 burglaries every hour of the day and night. People obviously do recognise the risks – Micromark research shows 98% of victims had home contents insurance1, and official ABI figures for 2005 show people spend an average of £159 per year. Given these figures, it’s amazing that 39% of homeowners surveyed did not have any home security deterrents at all – and 45% of people spend nothing on home security each year. National Home Security Week encourages homeowners to take pro-active action now to reduce their risk of being burgled.
Further Home Office research4 shows burglar alarms and CCTV to be the greatest burglary deterrents - over 80% of burglars are put off by these. However only a very small number of homes have them - our new research shows less than 1 in 5 victims had an alarm system and only 1 in 30 had CCTV.
Nathan Cole, Senior Product Manager at Micromark, comments: “Our research shows how strongly homeowners feel about burglary if confronted with an intruder – however the point of National Home Security Week is to highlight ways to reduce the risk of being broken into - deterring burglars without having to resort to drastic and dangerous measures.
“Nobody wants to come face to face with a burglar, and there are simple, effective and affordable deterrents available to put them off. In fact our previous research5 with convicted burglars shows over two-thirds are deterred by the presence of some home security. And it doesn’t have to be expensive - burglar alarms and CCTV systems are available from as little as £30 and security lighting and timers start from under £10."
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Otherinfo:Press contacts
For further information please contact: Jim Buchanan on 07725 257194, or pr @micromark.co.uk or Maria Eleftheriou 020 8829 6354 or email info @micromark.co.uk
Printed From:http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200608/1156342210.html
Source:Free Press Release
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