It is not just shoppers who will be out in force in the run-up to Christmas. This time of year is busy for thieves too. Crowded shops, presents left in unattended vehicles, expensive gifts in full view in unattended homes all make easy pickings for criminals. Last December insurers dealt with around 21,000 home burglary claims alone – that’s nearly 680 a day.

By following these simple, common sense precautions you can reduce the risk of falling victim to festive thieves:

• When shopping, don’t leave bags unattended, and keep hold of your wallet or purse.
• Don’t leave presents on display in your car – put them in a locked boot or glove compartment.
• At home, avoid leaving presents under the Christmas tree in full view from outside.
• If going away over the holiday period, make sure your home is secure, cancel any milk or paper deliveries and ask a trusted neighbour or friend to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Check your home contents insurance policy, as many now automatically increase your sum insured by a fixed amount to cover presents in your home around Christmas. And remember to check your sum insured immediately after Christmas, to see if it needs to be adjusted to take into account the value of any presents you received, especially high value items such as computer and electrical equipment and jewellery.

Tags: insurance - car, insurance - home buildings & contents