A burglary every 7 hours in Plymouth

One house in Plymouth is burgled every six hours and 18 minutes, analysis of local data collected from the Devon & Cornwall Police has revealed. 1,390 burglaries were reported to the police last year.

Vehicles are broken into almost as frequently, with an instance of vehicle crime in Plymouth occurring every seven hours and 56 minutes. That means three people have to deal with a stolen or vandalised car every day in the city.

The analysis, by home security experts, The Safe Shop, uncovers shocking crime statistics as well as worryingly low clearance rates.

Despite once being named the UK’s most cycle friendly city in a 2012 study, bike theft in Plymouth occurs every other day (45 hours and 38 minutes). Most worryingly though, in 81% of these bicycle cases, no suspect is identified.

A College of Policing study however found that these low clearance rates may be due to increasing police time being spent on public protection work. Steven White, head of the Police Federation commented earlier this year:

“83 per cent of calls to forces do not concern incidents of crime [which] calls into question government claims that the police should just be measured on efforts to cut crime… Policing pubs and clubs; house-to-house inquiries and taking statements are just some of the key areas of police work not covered in crime statistics.”

Anthony Neary, security expert at The Safe Shop commented on the results:
“There are an astounding number of burglaries in the UK every year. Even though crime numbers in general are slightly down, these statistics highlight how important it is for us to be vigilant about our home security. That means locking your house and keeping your valuables hidden and safe when you’re not at home.”

To curb crime in Plymouth, The Safe Shop has created a crime prevention guide so that local residents can do all they can to prevent themselves from being burgled or stolen from.

http://www.thesafeshop.co.uk/blog/2015/06/a-guide-to-theft-prevention/

Additional Information

The data included has been analysed by The Safe Shop and collected from 45 different police constabularies across the UK, made accessible due to the Government Open Licence for public sector information. The data includes offences from the following categories:

• Burglary - Includes offences where a person enters a house or other building with the intention of stealing.

• Theft from the Person - Includes crimes that involve theft directly from the victim (including handbag, wallet, cash, mobile phones) but without the use or threat of physical force.

• Bicycle Theft - Includes the taking without consent or theft of a pedal cycle.

• Vehicle Crime - Includes theft from or of a vehicle or interference with a vehicle.