The past 20 years have seen a boom in consumerism in the UK. Most homes are fully equipped with the latest gadgets and other items of value. However, despite the boom and the relative ease with which products can be purchased these days, there will always be those who covet such goods and look to steal them.

Before the credit crunch in 2008, it was easy for individuals to obtain credit to purchase the latest items, such as flat screen televisions, PlayStation consoles and Xbox computers. Laptops started to replace the PC in homes and mobile telephones became the norm for most adults and increasingly often for children as well.

Following the credit crunch, such consumerism really didn’t slow down. Stores would offer massive discounts on items in order to keep cash flow moving in difficult times. The past six years have also seen a real boom in the higher value Apple products, such as Mac laptops, iPods, iPhones and iPads. The difference between these items and those of equivalent value from the 1980s or 1990s is that they are small and easily transportable.

Imagine a burglar now, compared with 20 or 30 years ago.

In the 1980s, if a burglar entered a home, they would seek out high value items such as jewellery and other smaller assets. There were rarely mobile telephones in homes and it is likely that the main technological items, such as the television or VCR were far too large for a burglar to make a quick getaway, unless they had a van parked outside. This would hardly be an inconspicuous crime.

Fast forward to 2012 and imagine the position for a burglar entering a typical home. In a few minutes, they could swag any number of items and easily leave with them. Consider the size of an iPhone, iPad, Xbox, laptop and other such items.  These could easily fit into one holdall for a burglar.  Chances are that there will be a car on the driveway as well. The burglar could simply take the keys and use this vehicle as his own getaway car before anyone was onto him.

It is true that insurance premiums these days cover many of these items. However, prevention is far better than cure and no one really wants their home to be ransacked. Therefore, cost effective home security solutions provide peace of mind and act as a deterrent to any would-be burglar.

Article written by Lee Wright who is currently looking into CCTV in Cardiff.