How safe are our homes?

As part of National Home Security Month this October, we’re taking a look at how safe our homes really are and what solutions can be implemented to improve home security. In this blog, we explore the surprising facts and figures revealed in Somfy’s home security survey earlier this year.

Somfy carried out home security research by surveying 2,008 UK adults and asking them various questions regarding the status of their home security. The survey revealed that some of the most basic security measures are not being met by UK residents, leaving their homes extremely vulnerable to opportunistic burglars.

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Do you feel safe where you live?

Our results showed that, on average, 70% of respondents felt safe where they lived. The South West and Scotland were considered the safest areas to live by locals, with the majority (80%) feeling totally safe in their neighbourhood. On the other hand, the areas where residents felt most vulnerable were Greater London (only 63% felt safe) and the North West (only 63% felt safe).

Do you lock your doors?

It was found that 1 in 4 never lock their front door when they go out, despite nearly 1 in 5 having experienced a burglary, and 1 in 3 of those having been burgled more than once. Alarmingly, 4% of people never lock anything when they go out.

The South West was found to be the most responsible region in terms of securing their home access, with 83% reporting they locked their front door when leaving the house. In contrast, Londoners were the least security-conscious with an overwhelming 33% admitting to never locking their front doors when they go out.

Given that locking doors in the home is one of the most basic home security measures, involves minimal effort and requires no extra technology, it is surprising that so many people are leaving their home insecure and vulnerable to being burgled.

Would you confront a burglar?

One of the questions asked in our survey was: if you saw a neighbour’s house being burgled, would you confront the burglar? On average, 17% of respondents said they would confront a burglar on a neighbour’s property, with one citing they would ‘use a baseball bat’ to intimidate the intruder, exposing themselves to danger as well as potential legal issues.

The majority (83%) of people reported that they would proactively call the police if they witnessed a burglary but a small proportion (3%) stated that they would do absolutely nothing if they witnessed a burglary in a nearby house, with one even stating, “it would depend on which neighbour’s house it was,” as to whether they would help!

These interesting statistics from the Somfy home security survey indicate that residents in some regions are not as security-conscious as they should be, with many leaving their homes susceptible to a break-in.

Even just by ensuring all doors and windows are locked, this can prevent opportunistic burglars from entering your home. More sophisticated home security systems are an excellent deterrent, but these may be useless if basic security measures, such as locking doors, are being overlooked.

Look out for our next blog in which we will give our top home security tips and solutions to improve your home security and make your home a less tempting target for burglars.

To find out more about Somfy’s smart security solutions, visit:

• https://www.somfy.co.uk/products/cameras-and-alarm-systems