In a recent report from the Home Office it was mentioned that burglary had fallen over the last decade, however in another report released by a leading Insurance company in January found that break-ins were up by 4% over the last quarter of last year and predicted that it would get worse as the recession bites.

Who do we believe?

No matter, all we can do is try our best to protect our homes and possessions. We can install the latest home security, cctv cameras and window guards then we can head off on our annual holidays thinking our property is all safe. As we pack our cases getting ready for the holiday our kids are on Facebook or Twitter – all full of excitement – telling everyone that we are going on holiday and that our property will be empty for the next 2 weeks.

Lets face it, most people just accept strangers as friends on these social networking sites. We don’t know them or anything about them; latest statistics are that on Twitter, 92% accepted the stranger as a friend, and 13% of Facebook users. Potentially allowing the stranger to learn about that person’s movements and when they are going to be away from their property.

All this has led to leading Insurance Company, Legal and General, warning parents that their premiums could rise if their children are found to be members of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Reformed thief Michael Fraser, star of the BBC program ‘Beat the Burglar’ says “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that burglars are using social networks to identify likely targets. They gain confidence by learning more about them, what they are likely to own and when they are likely to be out of the house.”

People have to monitor what they post on social networking sites as you don’t fully know just who might be looking at your profile.