To find out which cities need to be extra conscious of home security, new research by Compare the Market AU has revealed the cities across the world with the highest burglary rates, as well as those with the lowest. The research also revealed which cities around the world spend the most on smart home security. Phoenix ranked sixth in the world as the most at-risk city for burglaries.

The 10 cities with the most break-ins and burglaries worldwide were revealed as follows:

Manchester in the UK ranked as the city which experiences the most burglaries per year with an overall rate of 1,150 break-ins per 100,000 people. Ranking second and further down the country is the city of Birmingham, which had a burglary rate of 1,131.4 people per 100,000.

Moving over to the rest of the world, Canada’s capital city Ottawa ranks third with a burglary rate of 1,072 break-ins per 100,000 people, while Brisbane in Australia places fourth at 851 per 100,000 people. In Ottawa, the police force is attempting to combat the high break-in rates by offering free audits to residents to keep their property safe.

The USA is the country which features the most heavily on the list with four cities in the top ten including Columbus, Phoenix, San Antonio, and Dallas. Phoenix burglaries rank No. 2 in the U.S.


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In terms of the cities with the least break-ins, Oslo ranked top with just 33 per 100,000 people, while Perth in Australia ranked second at 56.6 break-ins per 100,000 people. Unsurprisingly, these are the countries which also spend the most on smart home security with the average Oslo resident spending US$22.21 and the average Perth resident spending US$19.22.

Commenting on the research, Adrian Taylor at Compare the Market AU said, “Over the pandemic, break-ins dropped by a considerable amount as people remained at home. Now everyday life has returned to normality, people are spending less time at home, which unfortunately puts people more at risk of being burgled.”

“Our research shows that investing in smart home security can be beneficial in deterring any opportunistic thieves. However, this doesn’t protect you from the financial impact a break-in can have, which is why it’s so important you take out home and content insurance. Depending on your policy and level of cover, it can help cover the cost of lost or stolen possessions. You could also see discounts on some policies if you show insurers that you have home security installed at your property.”

To find out more on the research, including the full list of countries with the least number of break-ins, please visit: https://www.comparethemarket.com.au/home-contents-insurance/features/cities-with-the-most-break-ins/