Aviva Canada Data Shows Burglary Increases During Summer Months

June 6, 2012

Claims data shows that residential burglaries spike in summer months with a 13 percent, 22 percent and 32 percent higher frequency in June, July and August respectively, than February, which shows the lowest occurrence of residential theft claims, according to Aviva Canada Inc.

A customer survey indicated that while some Canadians take precautions against theft, only 33% surveyed have a security system.

Aviva insurance claims data also indicated that break-ins are more common at the start of the weekend, with Friday showing the greatest incidence at 25 percent higher than Sunday, the day with the lowest incidence of break-ins.

The good news for Canadians is that burglaries overall are on the decline, with data showing an almost 50 percent decline in burglary claims between 2003 and 2011. National data from Statistics Canada also shows a 6 percent decline in break and enters between 2009 and 2010.

While the frequency of burglary is on the decline in Canada, the value of property stolen is on the rise. Since 2003, the average dollar value of the articles stolen from burglaries has increased 51 percent from $4,574 to $6,912 in 2011 – attributable to the popularity of easy-to-grab valuable items such as tablet and laptop computers, cell phones, video cameras and gaming consoles.

Quebec, Manitoba and British Columbia trend higher than rest of Canada

Based on 2005 to 2011 Aviva Canada data, Quebec homeowners have the highest frequency of break-ins at almost two times that of the national average. At just over one third of the national average, the Atlantic Provinces have the lowest frequency of burglary claims.

Province Frequency of Burglaries (vs. National Average)
Quebec 96% above the national average
Manitoba 40% above the national average
British Columbia 19% above the national average
Alberta 4% above the national average
SK, NT, NU, YK* 2% above the national average
Ontario 19% below the national average
Atlantic Provinces* 64% below the national average

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