Home burglaries increase in the West Midlands and Staffordshire, official police stats show
Home burglaries have increased in the West Midlands and Staffordshire within the past year as calls mount for police forces to properly tackle the issue.
Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed the two forces recorded 18,231 of the incidents overall between July last year and June this year.
It marked an increase of 10 per cent for West Midlands Police with 15,596 offences recorded whilst Staffordshire Police recorded a 26 per cent rise to 2,635.
The figures come after police chiefs earlier this month committed forces to attend all home burglaries as part of a new set of standards designed to cut crime.
Latest ONS data also revealed non-residential burglary – such as crimes at business premises – also increased in both areas with 6,554 incidents being recorded.
West Midlands Police recorded 5,337 over the period which was a 26 per cent increase, whilst Staffordshire Police recorded a 19 per cent rise to 1,217 in total.
Meanwhile police chiefs across the country vowed earlier this month that officers would attend all home burglaries for the very first time, to reassure victims.
Martin Hewitt, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC), said the commitment is aimed at building public confidence in the police.
Mr Hewitt, writing in the Daily Mail, said: "Some police chiefs have struggled to achieve attendance at all burglaries with limited resources and balancing an increase in complex and highly harmful crimes. But burglary is invasive and can be deeply traumatic.
“We want to give people the peace of mind of knowing if you experience that invasion, the police will come, find all possible evidence and make every effort to catch those responsible. That’s a critical part of the contract between the police and public.”
The NPCC said chief constables will work to ensure the approach is implemented “as soon as practically possible”. While some forces already have a policy in place to go to all home burglaries, others attend only where victims are vulnerable or elderly, or there are evidential lines of inquiry to be followed up.
Staffordshire Police force lead for burglary and business crime Chief Inspector Giles Parsons said: “Whilst Staffordshire is still one of the safest places to live and work in the country, we want the public to be confident that we are tackling offences such as burglary.
“We understand the devastating impact someone breaking into your home or business can have, and we will continue to prioritise preventing burglaries, targeting repeat offenders and organised crime groups, and solving as many burglaries as we can.
“In Staffordshire, we attend and investigate all burglary residential incidents unless there is an exceptional reason why the incident does not require us to do so.
“It’s also important for us to provide support to those victims who may be particularly vulnerable, such as the isolated elderly, and we continue to work alongside partners such as the Staffordshire Victim Gateway and Restorative Justice Service.
“I would also urge the public to continue to maintain and maximise their home and business security where possible in order to reduce the likelihood of them being a victim of this type of crime and report any suspicious incidents to the police.”
