Hobart’s suburban burglary hotspots revealed

Hobart’s 7005 postcode was the number one area for burglary claims in southern Tasmania last financial year, according to the latest RACT Insurance claims data.

RACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers said the 7005 postcode covers the suburbs of Sandy Bay, Lower Sandy Bay and Dynnyrne, and despite a 25 per cent drop in home thefts on the previous financial year (2013/14), the 7005 postcode still accounted for 12.5 per cent of all burglary claims in southern Tasmania.

“7050 (Kingston and Kingston Beach) and 7007 (Mount Nelson and Tolmans Hill) postcodes both had a 50 per cent increase in burglary claims to place them among the top postcodes targeted by thieves,” Mr Sayers said.

Mr Sayers said it was worrying to see home burglary claims across the entire state increase by nearly 10 per cent from the 2013/14 financial year.

“Tasmania Police’s corporate performance report, which was recently released, also showed home burglary offences in Tasmania increased over the past 12 months,” he said.

“RACT Insurance data shows 70 per cent of the total number of burglary claims in Tasmania last financial year came from the south of the state.

“Other southern Tasmanian postcodes that recorded a high number of home burglary claims were 7015 (Lindisfarne, Rose Bay and Geilston Bay), up 50 per cent and 7018 (Bellerive, Howrah, Tranmere, Mornington, Warrane, Montagu Bay and Rosny), despite a 25 per cent drop in claims.

“The suburbs which saw the largest drops in home theft claims were in the 7030 postcode, which covers Brighton, Pontville, Gagebrook, Bridgewater and central midlands suburbs, recording an 87 per cent decrease over the last financial year, while there was an 80 per cent decrease also recorded for the 7010 (Glenorchy, Montrose, Rosetta and Goodwood) postcode.”

Mr Sayers said RACT Insurance research also showed Tasmanians were leaving themselves vulnerable to burglaries and home invasions by not locking their doors when they are home.

“Our research shows 55 per cent of people who live in regional Tasmania leave their house unlocked when at home, compared to 37 per cent of Hobart residents, and 23 per cent of Tasmanians didn’t fully lock their house when leaving for a short period of time, leaving them vulnerable to theft ,” he said.

“It was encouraging however to see our research revealed 73 per cent of Tasmanians, including 86 per cent of retirees look after their neighbours’ homes when their neighbours go away on holiday, which is a great way to provide peace of mind that your property is safe while you’re away.”

Mr Sayers said there was a number of safety tips all home owners should consider before they leave their house including making your home look occupied and locking up properly.

“If you are going away for an extended period of time, consider telling neighbours how long you are away for and don’t advertise the trip on social media,” he said.

“Thieves now use social media as a prime source of information about people’s lives, so it only stands to reason that a thief would use tools like Facebook to troll for targets, so make sure you don’t advertise you are on holiday and leaving your house vacant on social media.

“Leaving several lights on inside the house or arranging for a house-sitter is also a good way to dissuade any potential thieves.”
ACT Insurance CEO Trent Sayers