Burglars Enter Through Garage in 1 in 5 UK Thefts

Pandemic Crime

As a consequence of the pandemic, there were 20% fewer house burglaries nationwide in 2020. Even burglars have to obey national lockdown laws, it appears. But this sigh of relief will likely be short-lived. In this post-pandemic world where we once again enjoy the outside, the number of break-ins is expected to rise. So what can you do to deter these thieves?

Let’s start with a question: Do you have basic security in place for your gardens and outbuildings? If your answer is no, then you are not alone: more than a fifth of people don’t secure them either. This is especially concerning since most thieves don’t carry any equipment with them, opting to use tools you have left unguarded to break in. 

When it comes to locking your garage you should be even more careful: in 1 out of 5 break-ins, burglars enter through the garage. When a burglar enters a UK home, they typically cause £1,413 in damage alone and steal £2,856 of goods. However, half of Brits don’t lock their garages despite previous break-in attempts.

But it’s not just the goods inside your home that are in danger. There are 4.6m homes with garages across the nation, holding a total of £7.6billion-worth of possessions. At any moment in time, your garage can have £1,650 worth of items, not including cars.

Stolen Garage Contents

Think about your own garage: you likely use it to store a multitude of things that don’t cross your mind daily. But do you have any idea how much money you can lose just from a single item taken? The Metropolitan Police gathered a list of what typically gets stolen from UK garages, and we did the math on what that will typically cost you:

• Bikes: 39% of garage-theft victims had their bikes stolen. Almost half of Brits store bikes in their garage, if you are one of them, an unsafe garage could set you back £200. 

• Sports equipment: Nearly 50% of brits keep their gym and sports equipment in their garage. With many of us building our home gym during the lockdown, it is no surprise that 18% of items reported stolen refer to sporting equipment.

• Mowers: 64% of brits keep their gardening equipment in their garage, with the average value of a lawnmower being £60. That is over 176 million pounds at risk of being stolen. Nearly 1 in 4 victims reported lawnmowers taken from garages.

• Power tools and Garden tools: Garden tools and other DIY equipment can reach £200 on average, and accounts for 42% of thefts in garages, sheds and gardens.

Perhaps you are thinking to yourself “Well, I have home insurance, which covers my garage, so I don’t have to worry about any of this”. Here is a fact you should know: 77% of the garage, garden and shed theft victims have to pay to replace stolen items themselves although most have insurance, averaging approximately £300.

“A garage is an important part of the home but many people do not secure their garage in the same way they do their homes.  An insecure garage makes it easy for an opportunistic burglar to take valuable items and use the tools to break into the main house, so garage security is more essential than ever.” Tracey Hudson, Director of EasyFit Garage Doors

How To Secure Garage

Don’t give thieves a way in, keep your garage safe. Securing your garage doesn’t need to require the latest super-tech and costly commercial security solutions. We have gathered our essential garage safety tips to keep your mind at ease. Plus, thanks to EasyFit’s garage door safety features, you can keep all your belongings safe. 

To keep your garage contents secure, our doors have:

• A patented anti-lift locking system for maximum security.

• Approval by Secured by Design (Secured by Design is a nationally recognised UK Police Flagship initiative dedicated to improving safety against crime).

• Automatic remote control systems with a wired Safety Edge Safety System to give you peace of mind.

Want to secure your garage with EasyFit Garage Doors? Get in touch with us to find the solution that works best for you.