Paper shredders 'will keep Christmas jolly'
18/12/2006 16:57

Scottish police have advised those heading away for the festive season to ensure that all non-essential documents containing personal data are put through a paper shredder.

According to official figures from the police, 35,000 homes in Scotland will be broken in to over the Christmas period with many presents and expensive purchases the target of thieves.

However, Scottish police have pinpointed a trend for identity theft amongst cases of burglary north of the border.

While passports, driving licences and other essential identifying documents cannot be sent to the paper shredder, any left in the house should be securely hidden and most definitely kept out of site, according to police.

This view has been reiterated by Gerry Barrett, head of home insurance at the AA, who has told the Scotsman that the festive season is a time to be jolly - jolly secure.

Mr Barrett said: "Passports, credit card bills and bank statements provide valuable data that can be used by criminals - cleaning out your bank accounts, running up huge debts, taking out loans and giving you a bad credit rating in the process. Buy a paper shredder and use it."

In addition, Mr Barrett has called on homeowners up and down the UK to make sure that their home insurance policies are up-to-date during this time of year.

At Paperstone, we offer a full range of paper shredders to keep you secure this Christmas.