Figures reveal that Ashford is a crime hotspot. A total of 3,584 crimes were committed in the Kent town from March 2014 to February 2015.
Of these, antisocial behaviour, violence and sexual crimes were the largest, totalling over 1,500. There were also 275 families that suffered the unimaginable horror of losing their prized possessions through preventable burglaries.
They may or may not have been insured, but even if they were, insurance companies are not noted for being generous with their payouts.
Indeed, the chief job of the claims departments in insurance companies is to reduce the claim as much as possible in order to pay the absolute minimum. Thus, anything that they can find to argue about, you can generally be sure that they will.
Irreplaceable
However, even if your insurance company pays you after your home has been burgled, it can never replace the sentimental items that you have lost.
Sure, you can go and buy a new widescreen TV, but you can’t replace the photo collection on your laptop, your grandmother’s wedding ring, an original oil painting, or an antique vase.
This is the sort of tragedy suffered by 275 families in Ashford last year. In many cases, it will be simply because they had insufficient – or possibly no – security in their homes.
There have always been domestic burglaries, ever since homes have been built. But, in the 21st century, there are far more than before. Equally, security has come on in leaps and bounds and most thieves recognise this.
As a result, they tend to steer well clear of homes that have the obvious signs of a burglar alarm and security lighting, preferring to tackle the much softer targets of homes without them.
Specialists
Certainly, there are burglars and thieves who will take on a home or business protected by a security system. Take the Hatton Garden safe deposit robbery at Easter, for instance, where they stole £60 million of gems. However, these are specialists, and they are few and far between. You won’t find too many of them in Ashford.
That doesn’t alter the fact that having your home burgled is heartbreaking. Just knowing that someone has been in your home is enough to make you feel very uneasy. In fact, quite often, people who have suffered a burglary feel that they can no longer live in their property and they end up leaving their cherished family home.
Now you know Ashford is a crime hotspot, will you take the risk?
Of course, you could get lucky and live your whole life without ever being burgled. But is it worth taking the risk, when modern security systems can be installed cheaply?
Not only will your home be much safer with burglar alarms and security lighting installed, in the majority of cases, your insurance company will offer you a lower premium. Insurance companies don’t do this out of the goodness of their hearts; they do it because they know full well you are at less risk.
If you do not currently have proper home security, it is worth getting a quote. You may be pleasantly surprised at how little it can cost to make your home safe.
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