Be warned, thieves are striking - even when you are home

Being home doesn't stop thieves from breaking in according to a new survey. Stock Photo / 123RF

A new survey has found one in four people have been experienced a break-in and most of them had only been gone from home for a few hours when thieves hit.

The AA Insurance survey found 20 per cent of people have been burgled and an additional 6 per cent have been hit more than once.

While 26 per cent of people had been away for a long weekend or on holiday, the survey found nearly a fifth of all burglaries took place while the residents were at home. The rest were either out for a few hours or most of the day, but less than 24 hours.

The most up-to-date police figures reveal around 40,000 people have been the victim of a burglary or break-in so far this year, a similar number for the same time last year and down on 2019.

While statistics aren't yet available for the period covering lockdown yet, they are likely to show a decline, similar to what happened last year when the country was first plunged into alert level 4 and 3.

AA Insurance's Head of Home Claims Tom Bartlett. Photo / Supplied

AA's Head of Home Claims Tom Bartlett said theft claims had dropped by more than a third last month since July.

Despite that, it was important people remained vigilant about security during lockdown.

"Burglars are generally opportunistic and leaving your front door open or items on view while you're out the back of your home can be tempting for thieves.

So, even as the country moves down levels, and people are allowed to move about more, it's still important to lock your home and your car doors, put tools and items away when not in use, and remove items from your car when you leave it."

The survey found nearly 40 per cent of burglary victims had an alarm, but only half of them were religious about turning it on. Only a third activated it when they were going to be out for less than an hour.

Two thirds of burglary victims went on to make some security improvements such as installing new locks, an alarm, setting the alarm when they left the house, adding CCTV or getting a dog.

Jewellery and electrical items such as TVs, laptops and cameras were the most common items taken.

Bartlett said home security was a real concern for many people, nearly half of whom said they worried that their home would be broken into while they were away.