Capital has the most attractive postcodes... to housebreakers

THEY may be among the country’s most sought-after addresses, but it seems Edinburgh’s smartest streets are coveted by housebreakers just as much as housebuyers.

Four of Scotland’s top five housebreaking hotspots last year were in the capital’s most affluent postcodes, according to a survey of insurers.

These four areas take in leafy Dean Village and Comely Bank, upmarket Morningside, the Grange, Bruntsfield and Marchmont.

For the second year running, however, the district with the highest number of claims for home contents was the upand-coming northern suburb of Granton. Once a byword for social deprivation and the setting for Irvine Welsh’s cult novel, Trainspotting, it now has the dubious honour of topping the poll as Scotland’s most-targeted areas for criminals.

However, its claim rate dropped from the previous year’s 40.4 per 1,000 quotes to 34.2 per 1,000 in 2016.

Overall, Edinburgh remains Scotland’s housebreaking claims capital, occupying 11 of the top 20 hotspots, according to MoneySuperMarket’s analysis.

Outside Edinburgh, the homes most likely to be broken into are the districts of Anniesland (G13), Whiteinch (G14), on the western side of Glasgow, and Arden (G46), on the city’s southern fringes, with Glasgow districts filling the remaining nine places in the top 20 most at-risk areas.

Overall, 14 of the 2015 top 20 postcodes feature again in the latest rankings.

However, Maryhill in Glasgow (G20) is a new entry, at number 11, with a rate of 19.5 claims per 1,000 quotes.

MoneySuperMarket looked at two million UK home insurance quotes run on its website in the past two years to determine the areas with the most claims. Of the Scottish postcodes with at least one claim for theft, Leslie (KY6) and Ballingry (KY5) in Fife share the lowest rate, with 1.7 claims per 1,000 quotes.

Other areas keeping the housebreakers at bay include Kilwinning, in Ayrshire (KA13), which has a rate of just 1.9 claims per 1,000 quotes, and Galashiels, in Selkirkshire (TD1), with a rate of two claims per 1,000 quotes.

There were also 31 postal districts across Scotland with zero claims, including Laurencekirk (AB30), in Aberdeenshire, Orkney (KW17), Fort William (PH33), in Inverness-shire, and Montrose (DD10), in Angus.

Explaining criminals’ preference for Edinburgh, MoneySuperMarket’s consumer affairs expert Kevin Pratt said: ‘Burglars are interested in two things: where should I go to find stuff worth stealing and where am I least likely to get caught?

‘Our findings suggest busy urban areas are the biggest targets for theft, but those who call leafy suburbia home should also be aware of the risks associated with the higher anticipated value of their belongings.’

But he said it was encouraging that overall rate of UK housebreaking claims fell 8 per cent in the past year, in line with the fall in housebreakings, which he linked to improvements in home security and the falling cost of some electrical items.

The average collective value of itemised possessions on a policy has risen 39 per cent since 2011, to £4,192.

Lynn Farrar, chairman of the Neighbourhood & Home Watch Network, said: ‘Most burglaries are opportunistic and many can be prevented.’

The network recommends the WIDE principles – Window locks, Interior lights on a timer when away, Double or dead bolts on doors and Exterior lights with a sensor fitted.

She added: ‘Taking these basic steps can offer 49 times more protection against burglary than homes without these measures.’

‘Should be aware of the risks’