Home security stats 2024

There’s nothing greater and more deserved than feeling safe in our homes. And while risks are always present, building an understanding of them is the best way to begin putting precautions in place.

In this blog post we take a look at some home security stats for 2024: these provide great insight into the risks, as well as revealing steps you can take to protect yourself and your family.

Burglary statistics 2024

Burglary is when somebody enters your home by force with the intent to commit a crime, usually theft. 

• While UK burglaries are down 4.8% from 2023, the rate is still high at 4.14 burglaries per 1,000 people (source)
• The highest risk areas for burglaries are Hackney and Middlesborough, both with over 9 burglaries per 1,000 people (source)
• The lowest risk areas are the City of London and Swindon, each with fewer than 2 burglaries per 1,000 people (source)
• An estimated 33-40% of burglary attempts were unsuccessful, with various reasons for burglars abandoning the attempt (source)
• Entry points are estimated to be doors 70% of the time and windows 30% of the time (source)
• It is roughly equal likelihood that the burglar will be a stranger or somebody known by the victim (source)
• As of March 2024, the police had failed to solve a single reported burglary in nearly half of all neighbourhoods in England and Wales, over the prior three year period (source)

These statistics highlight the persistent risk of burglaries, even with a slight decline in overall rates. The fact that burglars most commonly enter through doors and windows demonstrates the importance of reinforcing these access points with secure locks, and of using home alarms and possibly cameras for additional security.

The relatively high level of unsuccessful burglaries also highlights the importance for deterrence strategies such as visible alarms, cameras, or other security features.

Finally, the disappointing levels of successfully resolved burglaries indicates that should you have the misfortune to be the victim of a burglary, it’s more likely than not that anything stolen is gone for good. This is why an increasing number of renters and homeowners are looking to home safes as a way to better secure their valuables, and to increase the peace of mind they feel, both while at home and out.

We also offer a range of budget safes - ideal for safety conscious customers with a tight budget - or underfloor safes if you’re looking for an additional layer of security.

Fire statistics 2024

Another significant cause of loss or damage to valuable possessions and documents is domestic fires.

• In the year ending June 2024, UK fire and rescue services responded to 594,384 incidents - more than 1,600 per day - an overall decrease of 4.5% on the previous year (source)
• 129,541 of these incidents were fires: a record low, and an incredible decrease of 26% from the previous year (source)
• 25,260 of these fires were dwelling fires, a decrease of 4.7% (source)
• Only 220 of these fires caused fatalities, with 233 total fatalities recorded (compared to 286 fatalities from 266 fires in the previous year) (source)
• In the same period, fire and rescue services responded to 255,581 fire false alarms, the largest figure since 2011 (source)
• Malicious false alarms decreased by 4.3% and made up 6,333 of the total false alarms; good intent false alarms decreased 9.1% and made up 64,778 of the total. The largest proportion was false alarms due to apparatus (184,581, up 9.2%) (source)
• The average response time to primary fires was 9 minutes and 1 second (source)

While these statistics are encouraging in that the number of incidents and fatalities is decreasing, they should still serve as a reminder of the ever-present risk of a fire in your home. Should a fire break out in your home, modern building standards and fast response times offer good protection against the worst outcomes, but there is still significant risk of damage to or destruction of valuables and documents.

All safes in our fireproof safes range offer protection of 30 minutes or higher against fire: note that this is more than triple the average response time for UK fires. If you want to protect paperwork and documents, digital media, data, or valuables from fire damage, we recommend browsing our range or getting in touch with any questions.

Staying safe and secure

Awareness of the risks is the first and most important step in protecting yourself against them. And while there is always a risk of burglary or fire, there are many steps you can take to keep this at a minimum. We recommend considering a home safe to give peace of mind against home intrusions, domestic fires, and other eventualities.