The UK’s most security-conscious cities revealed, with Liverpool topping the list

Data collected from MoneySuperMarket customers has revealed the UK’s most security-conscious cities, comparing the percentages of homes with and without burglar alarms in each region.

One burglary happens every 108 seconds in the UK, which equates to 816 burglaries a day. Whilst crime in the UK has decreased during the last year, according to ONS data, that hasn’t stopped Brits from securing their homes during lockdown.

Liverpool has taken the top spot with one in two (51%), of households having a burglar alarm, or 253,359 households of the city.

The full list of the 10 most security-conscious cities can be found below:

City
% with burglar alarm
% without burglar alarm
Number of households with burglar alarm
Liverpool
51.10%
48.90%
253,359
Blackpool
50.70%
49.30%
69,650
Manchester
48.40%
51.60%
1,344,000
Bradford
45.90%
54.10%
241,643
Leeds
45.70%
54.30%
356,636
Wakefield
42.20%
57.80%
144,916
Sheffield
42.00%
58.00%
245,291
Birmingham
40.70%
59.30%
459,600
Wolverhampton
38.80%
61.20%
99,652
Doncaster
37.90%
62.10%
114,900

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Blackpool came in second place with 50% of homes having a burglar alarm installed, or 69,650 people. In Manchester, 48% have a burglar alarm in their home. On the other end, Doncaster saw one-third of the population having a burglar alarm installed in their home.

Kate Devine, insurance expert at MoneySuperMarket said: “The one place we should all feel safe is in our homes. We have become more accustomed to staying at home due to lockdown, so Brits are taking extra precaution in their safety. It’s great to see that more cities are installing burglar alarms into their properties. Having a home security system can help keep your home protected against burglars, keeping your belongings safe and your mind at ease.

“Having home security, even just a burglar alarm on your home’s exterior can act as a deterrent to burglars and thieves – which could, in turn, make it less likely your home is broken into. This way you’ll be able to avoid making burglary claims on your home insurance policy, which should help prevent your premiums from going up as a result.”

Whilst some cities triumphed in home security, others proved to be less security conscious. Inverness took the number one spot for the least security-conscious city, with a whopping 95% of homes failing to have a burglar alarm installed or only 2,343 of its residents.

City
% with burglar alarm
% without burglar alarm
Number of households with burglar alarm
Inverness
4.80%
95.20%
2,343
Truro
8.30%
91.70%
1,501
Exeter
9.00%
91.00%
11,601
City of London
10.60%
89.40%
898,200
Portsmouth
10.70%
89.30%
23,813
Ipswich
10.90%
89.10%
13,338
Salisbury
11.30%
88.70%
4,950
Swansea
11.70%
88.30%
27,083
Brighton
12.10%
87.90%
27,563
Lancaster
13.30%
86.70%
18,752

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Truro was revealed as the second least security-conscious city, with only 8% of homes having a burglar alarm installed. At the other end of the list came Lancaster, with 13% of the households having a burglar alarm installed by 2020.

In London, Enfield was revealed to be the most security-conscious borough in the city, with 34% of residents, or 118,370 people have a burglar alarm.

Borough
% with burglar alarm
% without burglar alarm
Number of households with burglar alarm
Enfield
34.80%
65.20%
118,370
North West London
30.50%
69.50%
194,100
Croydon
29.20%
70.80%
111,750
North London
28.40%
71.60%
279,048
Kingston-upon-Thames
26.70%
73.30%
45,622
South West London
21.10%
78.90%
197,400
South East London
20.10%
79.90%
125,820
East London
18.20%
81.80%
48,061
City of London
10.60%
89.40%
898,200
West Central London
7.60%
92.40%
131,656

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Whilst burglar alarms are beneficial for deterring thieves, there are other ways to provide protection against burglaries. For every 100 crimes reported, 26 were deterred due to neighbourhood watch. MoneySuperMarket have researched the top neighbourhood watch areas across the UK.

St. Albans came out on top, with almost half of the city, 47%, being part of neighbourhood watch.

City
% of city is a neighbourhood watch area
% of city is not a neighbourhood watch area
St. Albans
47.30%
52.70%
Gloucester
39.60%
60.40%
Northampton
37.70%
62.30%
Coventry
37.50%
62.50%
Wolverhampton
37.00%
63.00%
Leicester
36.70%
63.30%
Bradford
35.90%
64.10%
Bournemouth
34.80%
65.20%
Chelmsford
34.60%
65.40%
Lincoln
34.40%
65.60%

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Trailing behind at second place was Gloucestershire, with 39% of residents being part of neighbourhood watch, with Northampton in third with 37%. Coventry and Wolverhampton round up the top five, with Lincoln on the other end of the scale with 34%.

Inverness was revealed as the city with the least amount of burglar alarms, it was also revealed as the city with the least amount of neighbourhood watch areas.

City
% of city is a neighbourhood watch area
% of city is not a neighbourhood watch area
Inverness
9.30%
90.70%
City of London
14.20%
85.70%
Glasgow
14.70%
85.30%
Aberdeen
16.30%
83.70%
Belfast
16.60%
83.40%
Swansea
17.30%
82.70%
Dundee
17.60%
82.40%
Newcastle
20.10%
79.90%
Carlisle
21.30%
78.70%
Norwich
21.60%
78.40%

Source: MoneySuperMarket

London came in second with just 14% of the capital being under neighbourhood watch. London itself saw many boroughs actively participating in neighbourhood watch.

Neighbourhood watch in London:

Borough
% of city is a neighbourhood watch area
% of city is not a neighbourhood watch area
Kingston-upon-Thames
44.40%
55.60%
Enfield
43.70%
56.30%
Bromley
42.90%
57.10%
Croydon
39.70%
60.30%
West End
38.30%
61.70%
North London
34.10%
65.90%
North West London
33.90%
66.10%
South East London
31.10%
68.90%
West Central London
27.80%
72.20%
East London
27.70%
72.30%

Source: MoneySuperMarket

Kingston-upon-Thames was the borough with the most residents part of neighbourhood watch, at 44%, followed by Enfield at 43%. Bromley, Croydon and the West End also made the top five.

With the nation becoming more security-conscious, some cities have seen home insurance claims increase largely over the last year. St. Albans took first place as the top city to make a home insurance claim in 2020, with 16% of residents.

City
Enquiry Avg Number of Claims
St. Albans
16.42%
Enfield
14.11%
Chelmsford
15.35%
Kingston-upon-Thames
15.47%
North London
13.95%
Bromley
15.24%
Edinburgh
14.12%
West Central London
11.03%
Salisbury
13.38%
Southampton
13.64%