Police pledge to attend all burglary reports in Hampshire homes sees charges double
Domestic burglary reports across the county have risen in recent months
Last updated 13th Dec 2022
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary say a commitment made in September that the force would attend every single dwelling burglary report is starting to pay dividends.
Officers had previously only been deployed when an incident is in progress, but the change in policy followed Hampshire's Police and Crime Commissioner's priority on tackling 'community crimes.
Since the change the force say in the last two months the number of charges for residential burglary has doubled compared with monthly averages for earlier in the year.
In October and November there were 22 charges relating to break-ins at Hampshire homes.
Since April 112 burglary investigations resulted in formal action such as charges, being taken.
Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said around 75 domestic burglaries were being reported across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight each week.
“Every single one of these burglaries can cause significant distress to victims, which is why I made a commitment earlier this year to attend every residential burglary report we received. In the past, officers have physically been deployed when a crime was in progress and all reports underwent a rigorous assessment of threat, harm and risk. Burglary is a priority. By attending every report we will maximise the forensic potential available so we catch more offenders. I am really pleased that this is already being reflected in the number of charges we are achieving for residential dwelling burglary investigations.
"In a small number of cases it may be impractical for us to attend due to the length of time since the offence took place, or for example if the victim has a specific reason as to why they do not wish for us to attend because they would prefer instead to speak to officers at a police station. I am pleased to report that since we made our attendance commitment in September we have deployed officers to 98% of all dwelling burglary reports received."
Raft of initiatives
He added other steps are being taken too to ensure more offenders are identified:
“Over the course of this year we have delivered a range of initiatives across Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight to increase the number of offenders who are identified and brought to justice. This is being coordinated by a central burglary improvement group – ensuring all the right specialists are involved to turn things around. We are determined that every dwelling burglary should be responded to effectively and every opportunity used to identify who is responsible. I am confident that our commitment around burglary attendance is improving that picture."
Increase as clocks go back
The force say burglary reports across the county have increased in recent months, which is line with annual trends as the clocks change and evenings grow darker earlier.
With many of us heading out or away over the festive period were being urged not to advertise when our homes are empty on social media like posting requests for help to feed our pets with the dates we are away.
Other tips to keep our homes safe include:
• Before you go out, double-check that your home is secure and that all windows and doors are properly locked and secure with keys out of sight.
• Don’t advertise your gifts to burglars and leave presents in view of a window.
• Register valuable gifts for free at immobilise.com.
• Think about how you dispose of packaging for expensive goods and don’t leave it on display outside of your property.
• Make your home look occupied wherever possible. Closing curtains and using timer switches for things like lights or a radio can help to deter opportunistic burglars as it gets darker earlier in the evening.
• Double check that any devices like alarms, security lighting, or video doorbells are in good working order.
• Ask a trusted neighbour to keep an eye on your home if you are away visiting family or friends. Make sure you cancel deliveries like milk and that parcels won’t be delivered outside your front door while you are away.