Tent Robber season

14th June, 2011

As the summer festival season gets under way, the ever present tent-robbers are scouring the press for news on where they can next buy tickets. The aim is to wander around and steal what ever they can from anyone who leaves unattended possessions.

Millions of people attend festival across the UK each year and rough estimates suggest that almost 15% will be affected by lost or stolen belongings. Although this crime has been around for years, the value of portable items such as cameras and phones has increased and the average cost of stolen or lost possessions is likely to be around £950.

Official crime figures released as a result of last years most popular festivals; shows that there were 945 reports of theft with the total amount lost around £190,000.

Tents are popular targets for thieves as they are so easy to enter and more than 650 victims were robbed in this way. The pick pockets are also out in force at these events and almost 300 people reported being a victim to this crime. These figures are, of course, of only the crimes reported, many will not always be aware they have been robbed until they return home, by which time, they will not report it to the police.

Home insurance policy holders are being asked to check that their current policy will cover them for any belongings that will be taken outside of the home as this is not always the case.

 

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