Friday 24 January 2014

Revealed: The 20 worst postcodes for burglary in Britain - is yours on the list ?

M21 covering Chorlton-cum-Hardy is the nation's hotspot while Basingstoke in Hampshire and East Riding of Yorkshire are among the safest
More than half of the UK's top 20 burglary hotspots are in London.
Research by comparison website MoneySuperMarket.com found the capital has 12 of the most badly-affected postcode areas in the country.
Despite this, Manchester had the most insurance claims for burglary in the past 12 months - with 45.2 per thousand people.
Herne Hill and Tulse Hill in London SE24 came close behind with 41.8, while Muswell Hill in N10 scored 40.9.
Liverpool and Birmingham each have two postcode districts in the top 20, but Leeds saw the biggest fall in robbery claim hotspots.
"Just because somewhere is named a claim hotspot it doesn't actually mean the area in question is not a nice place to live," said MoneySuperMarket.com's home insurance expert Kevin Pratt.
"Thieves often target areas with wealthy residents and desirable properties where the rewards are potentially greater or quieter areas where they think there is less risk of being caught red-handed."
The top 20 was compiled using information from more than three million home insurance quotes, and reveals that households in high risk areas pay about 24 per cent more for insurance each year.
Jim Maddan, chairman of the Neighbourhood and Home Watch Network, said: "The majority of burglaries are opportunistic and criminals will often simply choose the easiest-looking target.
"Something as simple as being on speaking terms with your neighbours and passing the time of day could mean that they notice when something is wrong - or it might be you who notices something is amiss and saves your neighbour from misfortune.
"Crime does not flourish in communities where people care about each other."
Postcodes in Hampshire's Basingstoke are among those least likely to have made a claim, as are postcodes in Devon, the East Riding of Yorkshire and Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Here's a full list of the ten worst burglary postcodes in the country, according to the number of claims made per thousand people:
1. M21 - Chorlton-cum-Hardy; Barlow Moor, Manchester, 45.2
2. SE24 - Herne Hill; Tulse Hill (part), London, 41.8
3. N10 - Muswell Hill, London, 40.9
4. RM8 - Dagenham; Becontree; Becontree Heath, London, 35.9
5. N2 - East Finchley; Fortis Green; Hampstead Garden Suburb (part), London, 34.5
6. L18 - Allerton; Mossley Hill, Liverpool, 33.3
7. L22 - Waterloo, Liverpool, 32.6
8. N18 - Upper Edmonton; Edmonton (part), London, 32.3
9. UB6 - Greenford; Perivale, London, 30.9
10. SE27 - West Norwood; Gipsy Hill (part), London, 30.5
11. B73 - Boldmere; New Oscott; Wylde Green, Birmingham, 29.5
12. E8 - Hackney Central; Dalston; London Fields, London, 29.4
13. DN2 - Intake; Wheatley; Wheatley Hills, Doncaster, 28.7
14. N20 - Whetstone; Totteridge; Oakleigh Park, London, 28.0
15. E9 - Homerton; Hackney Wick; South Hackney; Hackney Marshes; Victoria Park, London, 27.8
16. N11 - New Southgate; Friern Barnet; Bounds Green; Arnos Grove (part), London, 27.7
17. N16 - Stoke Newington; Stamford Hill (part); Shacklewell; Dalston (part); Newington Green (part), London, 27.7
18. LS16 - Adel, Bramhope; Cookridge; Eccup; Far Headingley; Holt Park; Ireland Wood; Lawnswood; Moor Grange; Tinshill; Weetwood; West Park, Leeds, 27.6
19. B24 - Erdington; Tyburn, Birmingham, 27.6
20. HP10 - High Wycombe; Flackwell Heath; Handy Cross; Hedsor; Loudwater; Penn; Tylers Green; Wooburn; Wooburn Green; Wooburn Moor, Buckinghamshire, 27.3