Burglars grab the bling in pocket-sized crime wave across the country

By STEPHEN WOMACK Updated: 17:09 EST, 7 May 2011

Homeowners are being advised to increase security and check their insurance cover is sufficient after a big rise in burglaries.

Electronic gadgets and jewellery are top of the criminals' wanted list as they cash in on the high price for gold and silver. Much of the stolen jewellery is sold for scrap.

Victims of crime: Burglars struck at the home of Sue and Tim Foster, pictured here with 14-year-old son Jordan

Last month's British Crime Survey reported 734,000 burglaries in England and Wales in 2010 – a rise of almost 100,000 on the previous 12 months.

Gareth McChesney, head of home insurance at Allianz, says: 'Households have become more wealthy over the past decade and that means there are more valuable possessions out there to tempt the burglar.'

Barry O'Neill, managing director of Home & Legacy, which insures higher-value properties, says: 'The average cost of our theft claims has risen 53 per cent over the past year to £4,200. Burglars are really going for small high-value items they can stuff in their pockets, particularly watches and jewellery.

'High gold prices and the ease of selling gold for cash on the High Street means there is a ready market even for modest chains, bracelets and earrings.'

Graeme Trudgill, head of corporate affairs at the British Insurance Brokers' Association, says: 'Technology advances have made valuables easy to steal. A thief can scoop up an armful of smart phones, laptop computers and iPads in one go.'

There are also more cases of houses being broken into for car keys, as improved vehicle security has made life tougher for crooks. Sue Foster had the frightening experience of catching burglars in the act. She pulled up in the driveway of her house, got out of her car and saw a figure running away across her back garden.

Sue, 56, a lunchtime play supervisor at a primary school, was shocked but also worried about what might have happened to her boxer dog Dori, 7, so she rushed into the house before calling the police.

She says: 'Dori was all right, but she was traumatised as she had been locked in one room. The thieves had smashed their way in through patio doors and started grabbing what they could.'

Sue, who lives near Croydon, south London, with her husband, Tim, 57, a management consultant, says: 'The police came very quickly and searched the area, but unfortunately they did not find anyone.'

The couple's 14-year-old son, Jordan, came off worst, losing his phone, MP3 player and a portable gaming handset.

But Sue had disturbed the thieves before they could finish the job. 'There was a watch on my bedside table they obviously missed,' she says. Prudential, her insurer at the time of the burglary in June 2009, paid for the doors to be repaired with toughened glass and replaced the lost possessions.

Sue says: 'We have changed our habits now and are more cautious about leaving things scattered around on show when we go out.' In some cases, small opportunistic thefts are not reported for fear of a homeowner losing a no-claims discount and McChesney says: 'The no-claims discount might be a factor in not reporting modest claims because people don't want to blemish their records.'

Insurers are encouraging homeowners to improve their home security and to make sure they have sufficient cover. Allianz and Direct Line, for example, both offer discounts for fitting an approved alarm system, trimming premiums by up to 12.5 per cent.

Direct Line also recommends fitting locks to any accessible windows and locking them whenever you leave the house.

Home & Legacy has gone one step further – giving its customers SmartWater to dab on their possessions.

The liquid is invisible but each bottle has a unique chemical signature that allows police to identify goods with that address. The pack comes complete with warning stickers and a plaque for the front door. O'Neill says: 'You can't stop a burglary happening, but you can at least encourage a burglar to go elsewhere.'

The company has recorded an 11 per cent reduction in the number of burglaries suffered by Home & Legacy customers since sending out the SmartWater packs 18 months ago.

At risk: Growing cover gap

Two-thirds of homeowners underestimate the value of what they own, leaving them at risk of not having enough insurance cover.

Rising prices and increases in the value of jewellery and collectables as well as the growing wealth of households can all leave you under-insured. The consequences of being under-insured could mean that in the case of a significant claim, the payout will not cover the total value of the items lost.

Insurer Hiscox analysed the results of risk surveys it carried out for clients over the course of the past year and found that 60 per cent of policyholders had undervalued what they owned.

Andrew Cheney, risk and valuation adviser at Hiscox, says: 'After a while even the special things in your home can seem like part of the furniture.'

Graeme Trudgill, head of corporate affairs at the British Insurance Brokers' Association, says: 'Some policies will have a set sum insured for contents, based on the number of bedrooms in your property.

Others will allow you to pick your own level of cover. For a typical home you will need at least £30,000 of contents cover and in many cases more.'

Homeowners should regularly take stock of their contents, get valuations and review the level of their cover. Cheney says it is easy to overlook items such as curtains, carpets and bed linen that could add thousands of pounds to a fire or flood claim.

Cover also needs to expand with your family and your interests. Taking up a new sport might mean a host of valuable kit, for example. And as children grow, so does the value of their possessions.

Hiscox has launched a calculator application for the iPhone to help homeowners make a more accurate assessment of the value of their home contents. There is also a version that can be used on a PC. They can be downloaded at hiscox.co.uk/apps.