Around 20,000 home burglaries have been reported in the past fiscal year across London and if you own a property in Barnet you should invest right away in a good security system, as this is the area with the highest annual cost and risk of burglary.
The average cost of a burglary in London is of around £3,000, money used to replace or to repair stolen items or damaged fixtures, according to an Approved Index study using data from the Office for National Statistics and from the Metropolitan Police.
If you add the burglaries reported by businesses based in London, the number rises to about 32,000 cases and the overall cost of burglaries that falls on Londoners goes up to £124 million every year.
Top London areas with the highest cost of burglaries
Understanding the risks in every London area can help homeowners get the extra security that might prevent robberies and can guide people that want to buy a new home in the quest of finding the right areas for them and buying a property in a safe community.
The Approved Index study shows that two boroughs located in north London - Barnet and Enfield - have significantly higher costs of burglaries than other areas.
Other costly areas in case of burglaries are Ealing, Brent, Haringey, Lambeth, Croydon, and Bromley.
Top 5 areas with the highest annual cost of burglary:
- Barnet - £7,620,770
- Enfield - £5,884,141
- Brent - £5,685,831
- Haringey - £5,164,559
- Ealing – 5,076,736
If robbers steal from a property in Bexley, Sutton, Merton, Kingston Upon Thames or Richmond upon Thames the cost of the burglary is significantly lower.
Low costs are also reported in Kensington&Chelsea and in the City of London.
The highest risk areas for burglaries reported in London are Barnet and Haringey, but homeowners with properties in Harrow, Brent, Enfield, Camden, Islington and Kensington&Chelsea should also invest in security systems, like CCTV or alarm systems.
Top 5 low-risk areas for burglaries:
1. City of London
2. Kingston upon Thames
3. Bexley
4. Sutton
5. Richmond upon Thames
Low burglary risks are also reported in areas such as the Greenwich or Wandsworth.
