Almost 87% of Those Burgled Are Significantly Affected Emotionally. Verisure Teams with Victim Support to Assist Them

06 December 2018: New research commissioned by Verisure, Europe's leading provider of monitored security solutions and the UK's leader in smart alarms, has today revealed the impact of burglary upon families across the UK. Conducted by Opinion Matters, the survey of 1,002 burgled UK respondents found that over half of house burglaries in the UK occurred when someone was at home, and that 86.9% of burglaries significantly affected members of the household, with over 17% of victims moving home because of the burglary.

"About half of the people surveyed have been burgled within the last year, and a surprising 49% said that they had no major security deterrents installed in their homes when the incident occurred," said Horacio Perez, Operations Director at Verisure UK. "You can't put a price on peace of mind when you consider that parents are 63% more likely to feel unsafe after a burglary compared to those who don't have children and that over 70% of children have been negatively impacted emotionally by the burglary."

According to the survey, 31% of victims reported their home no longer feels the same, and 14% said they had to seek emotional support following the incident. Perez added: "What's even worse is that 1 in 8 people who have been burgled admitted to still feeling vulnerable up to six months after being burgled. That's why we are working with the charity Victim Support to ensure burglary victims get the support they need to move beyond the crime."

"Burglary not only robs victims of their physical possessions - it can also rob people of their sense of security at home, a place where everyone should feel safe. The impact can last not only for a few days, but months after the burglary has taken place," said Barbara Oakley, Operations Manager, Victim Support. "Every year burglary affects over 435,000 households across England and Wales and, even if nothing is stolen, most people feel anxious and less secure in their home afterwards.

"Burglary affects the whole family. Victim Support can provide free, practical and emotional support to everyone affected, including children." added Oakley.

Snapshot of survey findings
" 91.5% of people burgled did not have a monitored alarm system, but over 73% of burglary victims increased their peace of mind after installing one.
" Over 53% of house burglaries in the UK occur when someone is at home.
" 86.9% of burglaries significantly affected members of the household.
" Over 17% of victims move home because of the burglary.
" Over three in ten (31%) burglary victims say their home doesn't feel like it used to.
" 13% say they are too scared to be at home.
" Parents are 63% more likely to feel unsafe after being burgled than those who don't have children.
" 70.9% of children have been negatively impacted emotionally by the burglary.
" Just under half (49%) who have been burgled said they had no major form of security installed at their home, only locks on the doors and windows.
" 14% said they had to seek emotional support following the incident.
" 1 in 8 people who have been burgled admitted to still feeling vulnerable up to six months after being burgled.

For more information, please visit www.verisure.co.uk/victimsupport and www.victimsupport.org.uk

#ENDS#

Notes to editor
The research was commissioned by Verisure and conducted by Opinion Matters between 9th November - 16th November 2018. Opinion Matters ran an online survey with 1,002 UK respondents had been burgled with 501 parents of child(ren) under the age of 18.

About the Verisure and Victim Support Partnership
Verisure is proud to announce its partnership with Victim Support, an independent charity assisting victims of crime and other traumatic events throughout England and Wales. Verisure has pledged to donate part of every new alarm installation to Victim Support and provide special assistance to its victims. This includes reduced installation fees, expedited service, and free systems for a select number of financially strained victims. With Verisure's global experience in the home security sector, we hope that partnering with established British charities such as Victim Support will help us continue to bring our services to the UK for those who need it.

About Victim Support
Victim Support is an independent charity that provides specialist practical help and emotional support to victims of all crime and major incidents across England and Wales. We provide support and information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, whether or not the incident has been reported to the police. Anyone seeking help can contact our free 24/7 Supportline number on 0808 16 89 111 or get in touch via the website - www.victimsupport.org.uk

About Verisure
Verisure is the number one alarm company in Europe's home and small businesses security alarms industry with over 30 years of innovation, 2.9 million customers and over 16,000 employees. The company sells and installs the most advanced alarm systems with voice and image recognition, 24/7 expert monitoring solutions and services from their top-notch Alarm Receiving Centre - ARC Gold approved by the National Security Inspectorate (NSI). The company handles more than eight million signals from alarm devices a year with a response time of under a minute. Verisure can be found in 15 countries - Spain, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, France, Portugal, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

Visit www.versiure.co.uk for more information.

For more information please contact:
Nicola Williamson and Victoria Melville
Melville Communications
+44 (0)1483 489009
Nicola@melvillecommunications.co.uk
Victoria@melvillecommunications.co.uk