The international security company SECOM Plc has uncovered and collated a startling new statistic: in 2021 more than three quarters of Lincolnshire burglary investigations were closed without a suspect.
The data highlights the extreme difficulty police face when recovering evidence for this sinister crime and shows more needs to be done to secure convictions for burglaries in the UK.
During the course of their research, SECOM found that Lincolnshire Police was the police force with one of the highest rates of unnamed burglars in the country – with 78% of investigations not identifying a suspect.
Other police forces who had alarmingly high rates of unnamed burglars were Bedfordshire Police (82%), Merseyside Police (81%), South Yorkshire Police (80%), Cambridgeshire Constabulary (80%) and Surrey Police (78%).
Securing a conviction for burglary is notoriously difficult. Criminals target empty properties and intruders often conceal their identities using masks or gloves. Burglars are also less likely to break into a property where CCTV is clearly visible.
As the darker nights draw in, SECOM director Alan Blake says it’s important that Lincolnshire homeowners take steps to protect their homes:
“New research from Aviva finds 60% of UK residents are planning to leave their homes for seasonal events. This puts their homes in a potentially vulnerable position. Double checking windows and doors before you leave, as well as arming your security system and installing CCTV, will deter criminals and help police gather evidence if the worst should happen.”
On the importance of installing burglar deterrence, he continued: “In this day and age it’s never been easier to protect your property with security measures – whether it’s a full CCTV set-up, alarms or just a doorbell with a camera on it. At SECOM, we’re proud to be helping homeowners defend their properties against crimes with a range of advanced solutions.”
As well as uncovering rates of unidentified burglars, the data also revealed which police forces dealt with the most burglaries. The Metropolitan Police topped the list, with over 55,000 recorded burglaries between September 2020 and August 2021. This was followed by West Yorkshire Police, West Midlands Police and South Yorkshire Police.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.