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New app to help improve home security
Neighbourhood Watch and RACV have taken some guesswork out of home security by developing an augmented reality app called How Safe is My Place. Here’s how the app can help improve your safety.
Neighbourhood Watch and RACV have partnered to develop a new app allowing Victorians to determine how safe their home is from burglary and what they can do to improve overall security.
By asking a series of questions, just like in the game ‘I-Spy,’ the new How Safe is My Place app is an interactive and family-friendly way to get Victorian households to think about easy things that can impact how secure you feel.
The app was developed after the success of an online quiz by the same name.
RACV Head of Home and Business Insurance Kirsty Hayes said RACV is incredibly proud to be partnering with Neighbourhood Watch and help launch the How Safe Is My Place app.
“The app can help inform decisions people make around the home and whether it is worth considering installing a security system for added peace of mind to help keep their treasured possessions and family secure.
“It is also essential to check that your home insurance is up to date, with an adequate level of cover,” adds Hayes.
Victorians urged to remain vigilant about home, car and bike security
The launch of the How Safe is My Place app comes off the back of new data from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency revealing that 31,621 burglaries and break and enter offences were recorded in Victoria in 2021, down from 36,504 in 2020 and 40,217 in 2019.
Despite the positive trend, Neighbourhood Watch CEO Bambi Gordon says a home is burgled every 20 minutes in Victoria, and almost one-third of burglaries are without force and primarily for opportunistic reasons, making the app a must-have for homeowners, renters and landlords.
“With the support of RACV, our new app will help people assess how safe they are, identify risks and get them thinking about easy things they can do which have a significant impact on how secure they feel.”
“In addition to using the How Safe is My Place app, introducing yourself to neighbours and exchanging contact details, or joining or establishing a Neighbourhood Watch group can all make a difference,” she adds.
Hot items for burglars include mobile phones, tablets, computers, cash, power tools, jewellery and passports.
The new How Safe Is My Place app allows you to see a virtual image of your home.
In addition to home burglaries, record demand for cars and appreciation in used car prices is making car theft from garages an increasingly lucrative crime for opportunistic burglars.
Remarkably, more than half of the 10,000 cars stolen in the year-ending June 2021 were from the owner’s garage, carport, or driveway.
Bikes are also in hot demand with thieves, with new data from Bicycle Network revealing the number of bikes reported stolen increased to 7,385 in 2021, 82.1 per cent up on the 4,076 bikes reported stolen in 2011.
The increase in bike theft comes as interest in cycling has grown rapidly in the past two years, with cycling levels up 69 per cent nationwide compared to pre-COVID.
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