Burglaries in Staffordshire leap by '15.4%' in 12 months

A total of 3,311 residential burglaries – including failed attempts – were reported to Staffordshire Police in the year up to July 2024, up by 443 (15.4 per cent) on the previous 12 months.

Senior officers say much of the increase related to burglaries of outbuildings, such as sheds or garages, and attempted burglaries.

During the latest police public performance meeting, they told Police and Crime Commissioner Ben Adams that local burglary plans linked to a force-wide strategy were starting to reduce the figures.

They also debunked the ‘urban myth’ that officers do not attend burglaries, saying it was the force’s normal practice to visit all burglary victims.

Chris Noble, Chief Constable, said: “On the one hand, there’s definitely been an increase, but on the other hand, probably our most dramatic increase has been with outbuildings, as opposed to someone’s actual dwelling.

"But considering what people keep in outbuildings – bikes, cars, critical machinery, items of sentimental value – even if it may not be someone breaking through the front door of your home, it can still be massively impactive.”

Emily Clarke, Chief Superintendent told the meeting that some of the increase could be attributed to preventative measures such as Ring doorbells, which allowed residents to see attempted burglaries at their homes.

She explained the force’s approach to tackling burglaries, which has involved bespoke local plans, targeted patrols and partnership working.

Ch Supt Clarke said: “It is a real key area for us to target, particularly around the county where we are seeing that increase. Each of our local police teams now has a bespoke burglary plan, and that’s linked to a force-wide strategy. That identifies the key areas of concern, the key people who we know are repeat offenders, and also repeat victims.

“We’ve seen some really good results in the last six to eight weeks. For example, in Tamworth we had a spate of outbuilding burglaries, and after putting some dedicated resources in that area through an intelligence-led approach, we’ve now reduced that to zero.”

Mr Noble added that there was no truth to the commonly-held belief that officers do not routinely attend reported burglaries.

He said: “That is not the case and it will not be the case in Staffordshire. The vast majority of burglaries we will be attending unless there’s a really clear reason not to.”

Mr Adams said: “This was a cause of frustration during the election – people saying you’re not attending this or that. That may be the case elsewhere in the country, but it’s not the case here. It’s quite important we get the message across to people around the practice here.”

Neighbourhood crime as a whole in Staffordshire has fallen by 3.5 per cent, with 9,655 offences recorded over the last 12 months. Theft from motor vehicles fell by 19.4 per cent to 1,901, while personal robbery decreased to 728, a 7.3 per cent drop.