NZ hasn't experienced the big drop-off in burglaries seen in the US and UK. The next year could see a step change in the take up of new home security technology that has the potential to slash burglary rates, an Amazon-owned security company says. But insurers in New Zealand and Australia were still "sitting on the fence" when it came to offering incentives for their customers to equip themselves with the latest security gadgets, Ring's Australia and New Zealand managing director Mark Fletcher said. In the United States, where burglary rates have been dropping fast, insurers had been quicker to get in behind new technology, he said. Ring, which was bought by Amazon in February for more than US$1 billion (NZ$1.46b), sells intelligent doorbells, cameras and spotlights that provide perimeter security for people's homes, and lets them "video chat" from their smartphone to anyone who comes knocking. READ MORE * Technology to make your home smarter and safer * Smart security – what are the DIY options? * A broken prison system It is now turning to its attention to also providing security in the home. Fletcher said price cuts made following the Amazon acquisition meant home-owners could now get a video-doorbell and a couple of cameras to self-monitor their homes for less than $800. Spark is another technology company that has entered the home security market, through its launch of monitoring service Morepork in 2015. Ring has been boosted by a US$1 billion buy-in by Amazon. Morepork's alarms send an alert to customers' smartphones if they are triggered and then let customers view live video footage of what is happening inside their homes. The service costs from $39.95 a month, or from $9.95 a month if the cameras are paid for up-front. New low-cost communication networks such as Thinxtra in New Zealand, which are designed to support the "internet of things," provide another new way to discourage crime. They cut the cost of using GPS tagging devices to keep tabs on larger household items such as computers and bicycles, if they are stolen and moved around the country. An example is Hidnseek, a tracker weighing 48 grams which costs €149 (NZ$257), and thereafter €29.90 a year to monitor. Insurer IAG said last year that traditional monitored security alarms were "proven to be the most effective way to combat thieves", declining to offer insurance discounts for systems that instead notify homeowners via their smartphones of suspicious activity. However, Spark spokeswoman Ellie Cross said it did have an arrangement with customers of AMI, which is owned by IAG, that allowed it to offer discounts on Morepork to AMI customers. Mark Fletcher says insurers in NZ and Australia are still "sitting on the fence" when it comes to promoting new technologies. Also, if AMI customers could prove their Morepork system was armed during a burglary, they were eligible for a "$250 discount on their excess relating to their claim," Cross said. IAG spokesman Ian Cormack said Morepork had helped one AMI customer in Auckland catch an alleged burglar in the act. "Thanks to the footage, the police were immediately notified and were able to apprehend the alleged burglar at the scene of the crime." "We have a team looking into home automation, such as burglary prevention and security. Amazon Alexa is definitely the most common tech we come across," Cormack said. "Having home automation includes turning items on and off, which creates an illusion that someone is home which may contribute to crime prevention." Cross agreed the boundaries between home security and broader smart-home technology were starting to blur. "Spark is exploring options around offering our customers an increased range of devices that support the connected home. "For instance, Spark stores now offer the Amazon Echo Dot, which among other functions allows you to control smart home devices." Overseas, burglary rates have fallen significantly over the past several years, coinciding with new home-security technologies becoming more prevalent. The number of burglaries per 100,000 homes in the United States fell from 701 in 2011 to 468 in 2016, after having been roughly flat for the previous 10 years. Britain's Office for National Statistics has reported a similar trend, with annual decreases in burglaries from 2011 to a record low of 650,000 incidents in March 2017. Australia saw a gentler decline in "unlawful entry with intent" from 2012, when there were 946 cases per 100,000 homes, to 779 per 100,000 homes in 2016. New Zealand police would not comment on burglary rates in New Zealand but pointed to statistics that indicated the same headway had not been made here. Unlimited broadband, new security systems and smartphones make it easy to keep watch on what is going on in and around your home from afar, but there can be pitfalls in sharing images of suspicious activity on social media. The way crime statistics are measured in New Zealand changed in 2014, but police data shows no discernable reduction in burglary rates since 2013. The number of burglaries, break-ins and unlawful entries at residential properties totalled 69,027 last year. Burglars accounted for 12.5 per cent of the burgeoning total of 10,394 inmates in Kiwi jails in December, according to Corrections Department figures. Fletcher believed new home security technology had driven the reduction in burglary rates evident overseas, but said it was still in its early stages. "There is a big game-change taking place. There is a big opportunity for it to make a difference on a scale that has never happened before." It is becoming increasingly common for home-owners to share images and videos of suspicious activity gathered by home security systems on community websites such as Neighbourly, but there can be legal pitfalls. "If an individual chooses to share footage of another person on their Morepork footage in the public domain – for example on social media – they need to ensure that use is reasonable," Cross said. - Stuff 488 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa
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