If there’s one positive from the pandemic, it’s the decrease in the number of victims of unlawful entry with intent.
The Australian Bureau of Statistics report a drop of 23 per cent in 2020 on the previous year for Australia as a whole, the lowest rates of incidents over the past 28 years.
But while that sounds good, there are concerns – especially with so many of us eager to get away once things settle down again, and those looking to burglarise homes keener to fill their pockets with ill-gotten gains.
With the likes of Arlo, Belkin, DoorBird and D-Link offering affordable, cutting-edge smart security devices that let you keep an eye on your home remotely from anywhere at anytime, it seems strange that the ABS numbers show we still live in an age where 89 per cent of respondents are content with locking doors and windows to protect the home, and 59 per cent say having gates or a fence around your property is sufficient.
Thankfully, 59 per cent now realise leaving a spare key outside isn’t the smartest move, though 38 per cent are still sure leaving a light on will scare away pesky bandits, and 33 per cent suggest a dog or other animal is a helpful deterrent. We assume they don’t mean chihuahuas and goldfish.
While all those are good – if extremely obvious – ideas, only 32 per cent say a security camera is the way to go, with 27 per cent saying a security alarm system.
Remember, while overall numbers might be down, four per cent of Australian households – around 423,000 properties – experienced an actual or attempted break-in last year. Three quarters of those were residential, and 62 per cent of those had property stolen.
Dropping back to 2019-2020, when there were 238,100 successful household break-ins, 12 per cent of victims had contact with the intruder.
This is exactly the sort of thing smart home security is designed to stop. So, lock your doors and windows, but add smart home security if you really want piece of mind.
