Mobile phones, iPads and cash are among the items most likely to be stolen from your home – and most likely to be under your Christmas tree.
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New data from the RACV shows in the financial year ending June 2017, members made $2.2 million worth of contents insurance claims for the theft of high-tech items such as laptops, cameras, mobile phones and tablets.
It comes as Bendigo police are investigating the theft of a Golden Square family’s Christmas presents from under their tree on Friday morning.
Sergeant Jason Hawke said the key was for people to lock their house, cars and belongings away.
“If people are going away, speak to your neighbours or have family members check on the house as well,” he said.
“When it comes to cars, lock them up and don’t leave things visible inside.”
In Bendigo, tools, iPads, mobile phones and pushbikes are among the top stolen items reported to police in the burglary and theft team.
From October 2016 to the end of September this year, there were 856 burglary and break and enter offences recorded in the City of Greater Bendigo and more than 2800 theft offences.
Of the thefts, 705 were from motor vehicles and 78 were of bicycles.
RACV home insurance general manager Stacey Maher said Australians were tipped to spend a collective $11 billion on Christmas presents this year, which meant a lot of brand new items in households across the state in 2018.
“Our data shows that in the last financial year there were 2500 consumer electrical items stolen,” she said.
“This data shows that incidents of theft are far more common than many of us like to believe.”
Ms Maher said younger generations didn’t generally want to invest in home and contents insurance, but one solution was single-item insurance.
Other tips from Victoria Police’s crime prevention team for stopping thefts include keeping garden tools or ladders locked away to prevent thieves using them to gain entry, installing sensor lighting and monitored alarm system; and consider having a dog.
When you’re heading off on holidays, it’s recommend you put a stop on your mail and newspaper subscriptions or have someone collect them; arrange for a neighbour to take your bins in and out; and be careful about posting holiday plans on social media – don’t advertise that your home is vacant.
The RACV’s top 10 most stolen items
(Figures are for RACV insurance claims for the 2016-17 financial year.)