Do You Know the Crime Rate in Your Area?

AD | Without giving too many personal details away (we are talking about safety after all), I live just outside of London. It takes just 9 minutes on a train straight from my local station into London Liverpool Street. Right into the center of London. Which might sound like a dream but if you’re looking at moving, relocating for work or have started a new job somewhere new, thinking about the crime rate in your area is really important.

Photo by Jonas Denil on Unsplash

Obviously we can’t all avoid it. We can’t all pack our boxes and move at the first sign of a little old lady being robbed on the high street. But we can factor it in to our decisions if it is time to move – especially if you have kids. Nobody wants to feel afraid every time they step out their door.

Do you know the crime rate in your area?

CIA Landlord Insurance have an incredible tool which is absolutely invaluable when it comes to checking the crime rate in your area. Although I’m not moving, I tested it out myself and…

I was pretty surprised at the results.

Like I said, I live near London. I’m not naive at the fact that the crime rate in London – and some areas around it – are high. Probably sadly at an all time high. In fact, a friend of a friend had his car stolen just a couple of weeks ago.

So this local property stats tool gives your area (after popping in your post code) a crime rating; less than 10 is low crime rate, between 10 and 40 is moderate and above 40 is considered an area with a high crime rate. My score?

45. Crikey.

I certainly wasn’t expecting it to be quite THAT high. In fact, I’m certain that I heard once that our borough is actually one of the more safer ones. If 45 is safe, I can’t begin to imagine the crime rates in other areas more “well known” for it’s crime activities.

This tool goes even further. It also shows exactly how many incidents of a certain kind were reported within a 1 mile radius of your postcode within a certain amount of time. Everything from bike theft to arson to shoplifting. And according to the tool, there had been:

33 incidents of burglaries

76 incidents of shopslifting

3 incidents of possession of weapons

and 125 violent crimes (there’s many more stats but I’m not going to list them all)

It’s actually made me feel a bit sick. As someone who’s not moving any time soon, those are statistics I just have to live with. But like I said, this tool is absolutely incredible to find out the crime rate in your area or a potential area in which you might be moving to.

So with that being said, if like me, there’s nothing you can do about your location and your crime rate is on the higher side, I wanted to share some pointers about staying safe when you’re out and about and when you’re at home.

A lot of these are common sense – I by no means think my readers are stupid! – but we could all use a reminder every now and again.

Staying safe whilst out and about

• Keep all bags closed, zipped and shut at all times
• Try and keep your phone out of sight, if possible
• Don’t advertise valuables – unless paying for something in a shop
• If you’re out late, always let someone know where you are
• Stick to well lit, main roads, especially if you’re alone
• Where possible, always try and walk in the opposite direction to traffic. This will make it harder for thieves on bikes to steal from your bag or pocket as they’re riding
• Be aware – try not to day dream, you might miss something important
• Don’t leave drinks unattended – duh
• If you’re using a cash point and see someone loitering around, try and find another one

Staying safe at home

• Shut and lock all doors and windows when you go out
• And leave any keys to any doors and windows well out of reach of the door or window itself
• Don’t leave electronics or anything of value in visible areas that thieves may see through a window or letterbox
• Try and always leave a light on – even if you’re out – to give the impression someone is in
• Check all locks and alarms monthly to ensure they’re in working condition
• If you’re going on holiday, check in with a neighbor and ask them to keep an eye on things
• When you’re home alone, be wary when opening the front door. If anything feels off, shut it and lock it immediately

So do you know the crime rate in your area? Have you checked your own post code in the properly stats tool? Were you surprise at the result? And what do you do in order to stay as safe as possible?

* This post is in paid partnership with CIA Landlord Insurance