Victorians encouraged to enhance home security and update insurance

RACV and Neighbourhood Watch are reminding residents in our region to improve their home safety measures and keep their home insurance current this year.

This advice follows the latest Victorian Crime Statistics Agency data, indicating a 15.6 per cent increase in property and deception offences over the past 12 months, totalling 272,790 incidents.

Recent RACV claims data reveal that in the last two years, about 57 percent of car key thefts occurred in homes.

RACV Head of Home and Business Insurance Kirsty Hayes stressed the importance of adequate insurance.

“It’s essential to check that your home insurance is up to date, with an adequate level of cover,” Ms Hayes said.

She suggests using a home contents calculator to estimate repair or replacement costs.

RACV and Neighbourhood Watch also recommend using the ‘How Safe is My Place’ tool to identify property vulnerabilities.

Bambi Gordon, CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria, highlights the importance of proactive home security.

“The frustrating fact is that we need to do better at protecting our properties – a home is burgled in Victoria every 20 minutes and a third of those burglaries are opportunistic and don’t even require forced entry,” Ms Gordon said.

When Neighbourhood Watch Victoria started in 1983, it was the residents of brand-new estates who embraced the initiative.

“These young families – English, Greek, Italian – were moving into the then ‘new’ suburbs of Melbourne and forming friendships – some that remain today, 40 years later,” Ms Gordon said.

Ms Gordon advises on simple, yet effective, measures to deter burglars.

“Keeping valuables out of sight may seem like an obvious piece of advice, but many of us will ignore the risks of leaving keys, wallets and bags in plain sight inside a car or by the front door.”

Victorians can join or start a local Neighbourhood Watch group through their website.