Handbag theft costs insurers £55million

8th April, 2011

Handbag theft has been a problem for women and insurers for years but as the recession deepens there are fears that the cost to insurers will be even higher than it is currently.

It has been estimated that one in five women are the victim of handbag theft, this is the figure for thefts that have been claimed for, and this costs insurers around £55 million a year.

The cost of replacing items stolen in the handbag can be from an average £300 to £1,000’s if the victim was carrying more than just makeup, cash, keys and medication. Nowadays women are likely to be carrying expensive gadgets that push the price of the handbag contents far beyond £100.

The cost of the handbag itself can be in the thousands and with many handbags costing thousands, it is really important to consider adding this to your household contents policy.

One in five women have been the victim of handbag theft, and the crime now costs UK. The most likely place to have your bag stolen from is in pubs, around 14% of all bag thefts occur there. The other most common places for handbag theft are the workplace and shopping centres at 12% and from the car at 8%. It was estimated that the average amount of cash carried was £40.00 and a make up bag would contain cosmetics with an average value of £50. Nine out of ten women carried their house and car keys in their handbag along with a filofax or diary, umbrella, notepad and MP3 player or iPod.

 

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