Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show a sharp decline in the number of household break-ins since 2002, which may put downward pressure on insurance premiums.

Almost 260,000 households were broken into from April 2004 to April 2005, a decline of 27% compared with the 12 months to April 2002.

AAMI spokesman Christine Elmer says several factors influence premium rates for household insurance, and the recent statistics will be taken into account.

“We certainly are aware of them, but there are no plans for re-assessing our premiums at this stage,” she said.

The publication “Crime and Safety, Australia 2005” collated information on household and personal crime experiences in the 12-month period, revealing a drop from 9% in 2002 to 6% last year in the number of Australian households that experienced a break-in, motor vehicle theft or attempted crime.

At 13%, the Northern Territory has the highest household crime rate among Australian jurisdictions. The figure was 5% for Victoria and Tasmania.

Fewer than 75,000 households Australia-wide experienced a motor vehicle theft in the 12 months, a drop of 44%. Vehicle theft was also the crime most likely to be reported, at 90%.