“Summer is a time when a lot of people go on vacation, and criminals know that, too,” says Const. Isabelle Cotton of the Toronto Police Service. “They are looking for those houses where there are no lights and the drapes are down. Make sure your place looks like someone is living inside.”
In most cases, common sense measures are your best protection – but sometimes, even that may not be enough.
Take the recent example of the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville in Paris, a location thought to be almost impregnable. Although housing items of inestimable value, its elaborate security system was thought to be more than adequate.
After the museum was closed on the night of May 20th, 5 paintings including works by Picasso and Matisse were removed. Astonishingly, the heist did not appear to be sophisticated or to use hi-tech gadgetry. Security video showed a lone masked thief dressed in black. Smashing a padlock and breaking a window, the thief calmly removed the paintings from their frames and left the premises.
Total value of the 5 stolen items: US$123 million.
What has not yet been explained is why the alarm failed to deploy – staff discovered the break-in only when reporting for work before 7 o’clock the next morning.
The risk may be greater than you think. But the best advice is to take common sense precautions. And discuss with your broker how your policy will respond when and if, you need it.
Tags: advice, broker, claims, coverage, damage, environment, insurance, Liability, risk, safety, summer
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