A Guangdong firm is planning to market a new insurance policy to cover losses suffered by clients who have been robbed, the first of its kind on the mainland.

Victims can claim compensation of up to 4,000 yuan (US$493) each time they are robbed, the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis Daily said yesterday, without giving the name of the insurance firm.

However, the new service is only available to those who purchase a comprehensive family property insurance, and will not be sold independently. A 50-yuan annual fee will insure all family members above the age of 18, offering indemnity of up to 1,000 yuan for jewelry or mobile phones and 2,000 yuan for laptops in each case. The ceiling for compensation claimed by each household is 30,000 yuan a year.

Clients are required to present a list of losses, invoices of purchase as well as a copy of a police complaint while claiming compensation.

The new policy will also exclude robberies on long-distance coaches because of the higher risks involved.

Many Guangzhou residents have shown interest in the service, the Daily said. Ms. Huang, an employee with a foreign-funded firm in downtown Tianhe District, said she had been robbed several times on her way to office in the past two years and would definitely buy the insurance. Another resident also said she had once lost a laptop, but couldn't claim compensation as her insurance firm had no policy to cover robbery. "I wish the service was there when I lost the laptop," she was quoted by the paper as saying.

Some other residents said the maximum compensation of 4,000 yuan was far from enough to cover the losses, as a laptop would normally cost at least 10,000 yuan.

No other insurance firms in Guangzhou presently plans to follow suit, the paper said.

Editor: Yan