A third 'would confront intruder'

12/09/11

By Leo Stevens

Nearly a third of homeowners would confront an intruder or attempt to restrain them, a survey has revealed.

The AA Home Insurance poll of more than 13,000 people also revealed that a third would make noise in attempt to scare off someone who had broken into their home, while 40% would adopt the more cautious approach of hiding before contacting the police.

On the other end of the spectrum, 73 people said they would be prepared to shoot or kill an armed burglar in order to protect their family.

Men are more than four times more likely to confront an intruder than women, with 27.7 per cent prepared to do so compared to 6.1 per cent.

Men are also more likely to hold burglars down until police arrived, with 19.8 per cent willing as opposed to just 2.3% of women polled.

Conor Faughman, AA’s director of policy, said: "It is hard for anyone to know how they would react but the best advice is not to panic and to think firstly about the safety of your family," he said.

"The best advice is not to confront them but to secure your family within the house and call the police."