Burglaries rise by 13 per cent but figures are still low

Burglaries in Sussex have increased by 622 incidents in the past year, with only 5.7 per cent overall being solved.

News of the increase, which represents a 13 per cent rise in the year up to September 30, was shared by Police & Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne during a meeting on Friday (October 20).

They cover break-ins and thefts from people’s homes as well as from businesses and community buildings.

When asked by Mrs Bourne if he thought the solve rate was good enough, Deputy Chief Constable Dave McLaren said: “Absolutely not. We can and should be doing much better than we are just now.”

Mentioning work being carried out to ‘free up’ officers from demands ‘which take them away from crime investigation’, DCC McLaren added: “We want our officers to have as much time as they possibly need in order to carry out investigations.

“I’m satisfied that we do have the structures and governance in place to drive forward improvements in this area and I’m confident as we continue to focus on this as a priority, the detection rate and outcomes will improve.”

He told Mrs Bourne that officers attended ‘well above 80 per cent’ of burglaries, with a policy to attend every one which took place in someone’s home.

Mrs Bourne said she would raise the matter again at a performance and accountability meeting in January.

She added: “Hopefully we’ll be able to see those solve rates go up because there’s a lot more work that needs to be done here and it is important.”

Looking at wider crime, DCC McLaren said: “Since the pandemic ended, we’ve seen a rise in all crime right across the board.

“In terms of burglary there has been that increase also but we haven’t yet got to the same levels [as] pre-pandemic.

“We’re talking about three crimes per 1,000 population, so a really, really low number of crimes.

“When we look across the board in terms of other areas, you are less likely to be the victim of burglary in Sussex than you are in other parts of the country.”

As the nights draw in, Sussex Police has started to use social media to advise people on how to keep their homes and belongings safe.

Look for #BeatTheBurglar.

One item which has proved helpful in detecting crime is the video doorbell.

DCC McLaren said around 50 per cent of detected cases were spotted by video doorbells or CCTV.

He added: “You only have to walk a couple of hundred yards down the street and you’re on CCTV left, right and centre.

“From a public safety point of view and certainly from protecting your own property, these are really strong deterrents but also represent a real opportunity for us in terms of identifying who’s responsible for these crimes.”