Series of burglaries at jewelry shops
Burglaries at jewelry shops increase at an alarming rate.
The main targets are valuable watches. The insurance sector therefore urges shop-owners to remove luxury goods from their show cases outside business hours and to keep them safely locked away.
In the past few years the insurance sector has seen a steady increase in the number of shop burglaries. In 2002, the number of break-ins in Austria as a whole rose by 13.4% to almost 22,000 cases, as against the previous year. The damage payments rose by 33% to € 51 million. Particularly before Christmas a new increase in the number of break-ins is anticipated, with valuable watches being at the top of the burglars’ list.
"Prevention is still the best precaution. In view of the forthcoming Christmas trade we urgently recommend that jewelers remove luxury articles from their show cases during the night or at weekends and store them in the safe", says Dr. Gregor Kozak, spokesman for the Austrian Insurance Association. "Fur coats, valuable electronic devices and mobile phones are also desirable objects to steal."
Insurance companies and the Criminal Investigation Department’s advisory service will gladly provide safety tips and information upon request.
Statistics: Burglaries and Thefts
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| Cases of damage | 18,073 | 19,308 | 21,892 |
| Increase in % | 1.1 | 6.8 | 13.4 |
| Damage payments | € 39 million | € 38 million | € 51 million |
| Increase in % | 14.4 | -1.0 | 32.9 |
(Source:VVO)
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