Homeowners turning a blind eye to crime as it could devalue property

In what appears to be a worrying trend, homeowners are failing report crime because they are worried it could bring down the price of their property.

New research from Direct Line Home has revealed that one in 10 Brits have been a victim of crime but not reported it to the police for fear it would show up on an online police crime map and devalue their property or make it more difficult to rent.

Anti-social behaviour was the most commonly unreported crime (33%) followed by vehicle crime (25%) and burglary and/or shoplifting (24%).

Rebecca Clapham, head of household products at Direct Line, said: “We are a nation obsessed with property and this has even filtered through to how we report crime with some homeowners concerned about doing anything that could devalue their home.

“It’s frightening that people are turning a blind eye to crime with some going unreported as a result. People need to remember that the purpose of a crime map is to analyse crime to help law enforcement and to evaluate crime prevention strategies, not to devalue a property.”

The study also revealed that 4.5 million Brits would consider not reporting a crime, or would discourage their neighbour from reporting one, because it would show up on an online crime map.

It also revealed that those living in Newcastle, Birmingham, London and Glasgow are the least likely to report a crime for this reason.

Clapham: “Our homes contain some of our most prized possessions and so it’s important to make sure they are properly protected. It’s concerning that burglary is one of the top three unreported crimes, especially as you need a crime reference number during the claims process when the loss or damage is as a result of a crime. If you haven’t reported the crime you won’t be able to have this and you may find your claim is rejected.”