Is Kent a safe county to live in? Think again.

If this domestic burglary map for England and Wales doesn’t spur you to upgrade your home security, we don’t know what will…

It shows the areas of England and Wales with burglary statistics for the full year of 2013. Certainly, you might not want to live in South Yorkshire which has the highest figures, but these Kent burglary statistics will shock its residents.

Thanet residents are at great risk of a domestic burglary

Somewhat worryingly, Kent is tenth in the league. In other words, Kent residents are more likely to suffer domestic burglary than the vast majority of the other counties in England and Wales. The colours on the map show it without any doubt.

Despite the fact that domestic burglaries are reducing in many counties, Kent is not only high on the list but has some areas which are increasing at a serious rate. Dartford has the highest overall crime rate in the county, while the Isle of Thanet has suffered dramatic increases in domestic burglary rates.

In the Kingsgate ward of Thanet, burglaries increased by over 300%, according to a local resident, who has retired there after 30 years of service in the Metropolitan Police. That is in the space of one year. The local Councillor for the ward reported that he was astonished by the figures, even though both he and his neighbour had suffered a break-in during the year.

Sevenoaks – Lowest crime figure in Kent

In contrast, some areas have a very low rate of domestic burglaries. Sevenoaks has the lowest figure in the county.

At first glance, this might seem strange as it is an affluent area with many successful businessmen and women living there. One might think that they would be targeted by burglars who will realise that they have expensive possessions which are worth stealing.

However, Sevenoaks residents understand that they are vulnerable and therefore take every precaution to ensure that their homes are secure. You won’t find many homes in Sevenoaks that are without a security alarm. Many also have security lighting and CCTV to back them up.

Upgrade your home security and beat the burglars!!!

Put yourself in their shoes. If you were going to burgle a house, would you choose one with high security or one with none at all?

Every police force in the UK recommends installing a security alarm at your home. At the same time, insurance companies offer reduced premiums for people who do so. They know full well that your chances of a break-in – and therefore their chances of receiving a claim – are considerably less when your home has a security alarm installed.

Fight the Kent crime figures and defend your homes

As always, the choice is yours. However, installing a security alarm system drastically decreases your chance of being burgled.

When you hear of these awful crime rates, you’ll be fooled into thinking “what are the chances it’ll be me?”.

Well, with that kind of attitude, you’ll most likely be next.