The VRKI, the Dutch risk classification for intruder protection used by insurers (Verbeterde Risicoklasse-Indeling), determines how heavily your home or business premises need to be secured. What do those risk classes mean, which measures go with them and why does your insurer ask about them? A practical explanation without the jargon.
The VRKI, in full the Verbeterde Risicoklasse-Indeling, is the Dutch instrument used to determine the burglary risk of homes and business premises. It is the Dutch risk classification for intruder protection that insurers rely on. The classification was developed on behalf of the Dutch Association of Insurers and is managed by the Centre for Crime Prevention and Safety (CCV). Version 2.0 is the current edition and is updated every year.
The principle is simple: the more attractive your belongings are to a burglar and the higher their value, the greater the risk, and the heavier the security has to be. The VRKI translates this into a risk class (risicoklasse) from 1 to 4, with a fixed combination of security measures for each class. That way insurers, security companies and clients all speak the same language: anyone who says "risk class 2" knows exactly which level of security goes with it.
The VRKI 2.0 is made up of two parts. Part A is the risk matrix used to establish the class; part B describes what the corresponding measures must meet.
The class is determined by what there is to gain: the attractiveness of the items present (low, medium, high or very high) and their value. For homes the VRKI looks at the contents; for businesses it looks at the purchase value of goods and equipment.
For example a home with ordinary contents or an office without an attractive stock. Organisational arrangements and sound door and window hardware form the basis; an alarm system is a sensible addition here.
A home with valuable belongings or a business with attractive goods, such as electronics in the sales area. Alongside structural measures, electronic detection with transmission to an alarm receiving centre is usually required.
Businesses with larger stocks of attractive goods, such as a phone wholesaler or a specialist tobacconist. Here the VRKI prescribes heavier detection, compartmentalisation and certified response.
The heaviest category, for targets such as jewellers and cash handlers. Maximum structural resistance, extensive electronic monitoring and immediate response all come together here in a single design.
For each risk class the VRKI prescribes a combination of measure types. The higher the class, the more types are needed and the heavier the requirements for each type.
Behaviour and arrangements: who locks up, where the keys are kept, how you handle codes and who responds to an alarm. These measures cost little, but they form the basis of every risk class.
Making the shell of the premises resistant to break-in: doors, windows, frames and locking hardware with a defined resistance class. The aim is to make a burglar outside lose more time than they are willing to invest.
An extra barrier inside the premises around the most attractive items: a locked room, shutter or safe, supplemented by measures that make removal harder, such as anchoring valuable goods in place.
The alarm system: intruder detection on the shell and within the rooms, supplemented where needed with CCTV and access control. Designed, installed and maintained by a recognised security company.
Transmission of the alarm to a certified alarm receiving centre (alarm transmission) and the response that follows: verification and the dispatch of a patrol officer, keyholder or the police. Without a response, detection is little more than a siren.
For insurers the VRKI is the yardstick when accepting a contents or equipment policy and setting the premium. The policy conditions might state, for example, that your premises must be secured "in line with risk class 2". That single line refers to the complete package of measures from the VRKI.
After a burglary the insurer assesses whether the security was in order: was the correct class applied, did the installation work and can that be demonstrated? A security certificate from a recognised company and a maintained installation then make the difference between a smooth payout and a difficult discussion.
The VRKI is not a law. But if your insurer specifies a risk class in the policy conditions, you are contractually bound by it: if the security does not meet that level, the insurer may reduce or refuse a payout after a loss. In practice this makes the VRKI the standard for professional intruder protection in the Netherlands.
A recognised security company establishes the class during the survey, using the VRKI 2.0 intake document. This weighs the goods or contents present, their value and the situation of the premises. Your insurer may also specify a risk class of its own in the policy. If you are in any doubt, set the policy conditions alongside the survey result; we are glad to help you think it through.
Yes. For homes the VRKI looks at the value and attractiveness of the contents, such as jewellery, cash, art and audiovisual equipment. Most homes fall into class 1 or 2; for very valuable contents the VRKI prescribes heavier measures.
The risk class is a snapshot in time. If your stock of attractive goods grows, you start selling different products or the value of your contents increases, your premises may fall into a higher class and the security has to grow with it. Report such changes to your insurer and your security company, so that the design and the certificate stay current.
The VRKI 2.0 is the modernised successor to the original VRKI: more clearly structured, with a separate part A for determining the risk class and a part B with the definitions of the security measures, and with up-to-date value thresholds. The CCV publishes an updated version each year, so that the classification stays in step with practice.
During the survey we establish your risk class in line with the VRKI 2.0 and design security to match, delivered with the certificate your insurer wants to see.