It can be hard to think about and talk about – as if we are somehow jinxing ourselves with bad luck – but the truth is that no matter how many anti-theft devices, alarms, locks or chains you install to protect your home – sometimes, burglars still break in.

One thing you can do for an added layer of protection is to understand the things that are most likely to be stolen if your home is robbed – and what precautions you can take to protect your precious items.

What used to be sought-after by burglars, compared with what is sought after now, has evolved. 20 years ago, you might have seen a burglar balancing a giant TV screen or DVD player on his way out. Today’s thieves are more likely to grab smaller valuables, such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones.

Dr Rick Brown, Deputy of Research at the Australian Institute of Criminology uses an acronym to describe the most typically stolen goods in home burglaries. “There’s an acronym used within criminology – CRAVED, which stands for concealable, removable, available, valuable, enjoyable and disposable. Those are the features of the items that tend to be stolen as hot products in the market.” 

Here’s a list of items most likely to be taken from your home – because of how easy they are to carry out, plus how easy they are to sell.

Cars and keys

These days, because starting a car without the keys is much harder than ever before, burglars love stealing car keys. Keep both of your main and spare sets out of sight and out of easy reach to help protect them – and your car.

Laptops

Due to their compact size for easy theft and their ability to fetch a good second-hand price, laptops are a commonly stolen item. Your stolen laptop may now get re-sold online quite easily, rather than only being sold at pawn shops or privately, as happened often in the past. To increase chances of getting your valuables returned, it’s a good idea to get items such as tablets and laptops engraved so a new buyer can easily identify them as stolen, return them to you, and also, hopefully, identify the thief.

Cash is King

The number one item burglars hunt for in your house or vehicle? Cash.

As more and more of us use transaction cards to handle our money, cash is less prevalent, but it still remains the most sought-after thing to steal so make sure you don’t leave it laying around where it can be seen through a window in your car or home. If you do keep large amounts of cash around – be sure to keep your money in a well-hidden and very secure safe.

Jewellery

Another consistently stolen item is jewellery. One reason? It’s easy to grab – and go. It’s also easy to re-sell – and if it features precious gems, stones, silver, or gold, it’s more sought-after. Highly valuable jewels should be kept in a secure home safe.

Mobiles

That mobile phone you love so much used to be further down the most commonly stolen item list – but now it has leapt into the top five, thanks to more desirable and better technologies and multi-use abilities making them more sought-after.

Installing a “find my phone” application allows it to be tracked if lost or stolen. Examples include - Find my iPhone for iPhone and Find My Lost Phone for Android. Never leave your phone lying around and keep it away from open windows and doors.

Of course, while crime risks can be minimised, the truth is that it will never be completely eradicated. Many burglaries are purely opportunistic so always keep windows and doors locked. Sounds obvious but many people still don’t! 

Ensure that your home contents insurance is in order and be sure to add any new items so you can replace them if you do experience a burglary. 

A version of this article originally appeared on the CGU Blog. For more information on insurance for your home contents, check out CGU's website.