No excess with SelectaDNA

Customers in New Zealand who purchase a SelectaDNA property marking kit alongside their BNZ home insurance policy will no longer need to pay a standard excess if they make a burglary claim.

Anyone signed up to the bank's PremierCare home and contents insurance policy or any new customers, would not be required to pay the standard excess if a burglary claim was made and they had marked their personal property with SelectaDNA. The average excess is about $250 for claims under the policy.

Developed in the UK, SelectaDNA is an invisible solution which contains a unique DNA sequence that can be applied to any item of value including laptops, games consoles, jewellery, televisions and art. If an item is stolen and later recovered by Police, it can be examined under UV light and matched against a database of registered owners.

Mark Stephen, Chief Operating Officer for Insurance, at BNZ said: "We are confident that the combined use of SelectaDNA, and the 'you steal, you're marked' warning stickers, will significantly reduce the number of burglaries seen in New Zealand.

"Customers need to mark their belongings with the invisible solution, register their kit, and display the SelectaDNA stickers on their house," he added.

David Morrissey, Director, at SelectaDNA said: "This technology, which is new to New Zealand, has already proven itself in the UK and the Netherlands by reducing burglary by up to 85% in areas where it has been used.  A trial is currently underway in Auckland and we look forward to announcing the results shortly.”

SelectaDNA is also being used in a hydra-spray form at the entrance of BNZ banks to help place offenders at the scene of a crime. It douses fleeing robbers with the spray which stays on skin and clothing for weeks, allowing police to identify them easily by shining a UV torch on the suspect.

    

   

Contact your local BNZ store to find out more about their excess waiver.

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FACT FILE

What is "Burglary"?

The legal definition of burglary changed in 2003 so that there is no longer a requirement to 'break in' to a dwelling. Entering a building with the intent to commit a crime is sufficient enough to be classified as burglary.