RACQ records 15 per cent drop in burglary claims in Toowoomba

New figures released by RACQ show a drop in the amount of property crime in Toowoomba, which tracks along side data released by Darling Downs police.

There has been a 15 per cent drop in the number of customers making insurance claims after a burglary in Toowoomba in the past year.

According to the latest data released by RACQ in 2022, 68 of the insurer’s members living in the 4350 and 4352 postcode areas made a burglary claim.

This number dropped to 58 in 2023.

RACQ has about 26.24 per cent of the home insurance market share.

It ranked 19 Queensland regions by comparing the total number of policy holders with the claims.

Toowoomba was ranked seventh in terms of frequency – with 0.41 per cent of members making a claim – behind Brisbane South, Brisbane Inner City, Townsville, Cairns, Logan/Beaudesert and Brisbane West.

RACQ Group Executive Insurance Trent Sayers said it was disheartening knowing how many Queenslanders had been impacted by home theft in the past year, at a time when the cost-of-living was already taking a toll.

“RACQ Insurance has seen a 5% increase in the total volume of home theft claims over the past year with some regions, like the Wide Bay, seeing double the amount of claims compared to the previous year,” Mr Sayers said.

“Brisbane’s southside has experienced the highest number of home theft claims by volume with 208 claims, an 18% increase on the previous year.

“We also saw a 35% increase in the total cost of home theft claims in 2023 compared to the previous year and this is a result of increased claims volumes, higher value property being stolen and inflation.

The data marries with figures put out by Darling Downs police in January which showed a 27 per cent drop in reported cases of unlawful entry of home, businesses and vehicles from 3410 instances in 2022 to 2685 in 2023.

Darling Down police recorded a 16 per cent drop in youth crime in 2023, compared to the previous year.

Along with the Far North District, this was the largest drop in youth crime for any district in Queensland.

In 2022 there were 5277 offences involving young people – a record for the district – but after rolling out a range of enforcement and prevention strategies, this number dropped to 4408 in 2023.

Mr Sayers said there were some simple precautions people could take to deter opportunistic theft.

“Firstly, remember the basics – lock your doors and windows, and don’t leave a spare key somewhere obvious, like under the doormat,” he said.

“If you can, invest in a security system, a timer for your lights or even technology that allows you to control features in your home via your phone.

“If you’re heading away for an extended period, ask a trusted neighbour or friend to collect your mail, mow your lawn and take your bins in and out. A neglected property is a clear sign that no one is home.