New officers tasked with reducing home insurance claims

Community support officers in Worcester are being drafted in to help ensure homeowners in the city aren't required to make any unwelcome claims on their home insurance policies .

Launched to coincide with a burglary awareness week being organised by the local police, the new initiative will see specially-trained support officers visit thousands of homes to give out top tips and advice.

As well as explaining the importance of state-of-the-art locks in keeping home insurance claims down, the team will also assess a property's fencing, lighting and even the type of hedges in order to pin-point any possible weaknesses.

Mike Stephenson, the crime risk manager for the region, told the Worcester News: Levels of crime in south Worcestershire are low but we want to make them even lower.

We are committed to targeting persistent burglars and bringing them to justice to ensure local communities remain a safe place to live and work.

Over the New Year, it has reported that film director Woody Allen nearly had to claim on his home insurance policy, though neighbours foiled an attempted burglary of his London home.