Burglars Work Overtime in Summertime; With Seasonal Crime on the Rise, IINC Offers Ways to Protect Your Home.

Business Editors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 30, 2002

When the homeowner's away, the burglars will play -- and vacationers should be especially careful during summer months to protect their belongings from would-be thieves.

Household theft rates increased in Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara counties from 1999 to 2000, according to the California Department of Justice. This follows FBI statistics indicating burglary rose 2.6 percent from 2000 to 2001 nationwide -- a reversal of a three-year trend where burglary rates dropped as low as they've been in decades.

Nine out of 10 break-ins could be prevented if homeowners took steps to "burglarproof" their homes.

A burglar's three worst enemies are light, time and noise, and research shows that if it takes more than four or five minutes to break into your home, the burglar will go elsewhere. To help protect your home, the Insurance Information Network of California recommends:

-- "Case" your home the way a burglar might and look for easy entrance points.

-- Protect your doors with solid locks -- 80 percent of break-ins are though a door.

-- Consider a home security system that will sound an alarm if triggered.

-- Leave blinds and curtains in their normal position.

-- Don't allow trees and shrubs to conceal doors.

-- Never hide your keys outside -- burglars know where to look.

-- Use automatic timers for lights, radios and televisions to make the home appear "lived in."

-- Lower the sound on your telephone ringer and answering machine.

Many insurance companies in California offer a discount for devices like dead-bolt locks, smoke/fire alarms and burglar alarms that make a home safer. Not all devices and security systems qualify for a discount, so it's advisable to speak with your agent before installing safety equipment. Another way to protect your assets is to create a complete home inventory -- it can help you file a claim faster and more efficiently should you sustain a loss.

For a free brochure on creating a home inventory, visit the IINC Web site at www.iinc.org.

IINC is a nonprofit, non-lobbying media relations organization supporting the property/casualty insurance industry. To schedule an interview with an IINC spokesperson, call media relations at [phone].