There seems to be no indication that the UK is about to relinquish its “Break-In Britain” mantra any time soon. The West Midlands, sadly, is proving to be no exception to the rule.
The region is ranked as the fourth worst for reported crimes throughout England and Wales.
Even so, West Midlands burglary rates do fluctuate quite wildly, according to latest Home Office data for the year up to September 2022. Nevertheless, Birmingham is identified as a hotspot when it comes to crimes registered for every 1,000 households.
The city has three times the number of domestic burglaries compared to South Staffordshire. This pattern is followed across the entire West Midlands metropolitan area – including the Black Country, Solihull and Coventry – where residential robberies are higher than in the neighbouring areas of Worcestershire and Shropshire.
In areas, like Devon, where homes are least at risk, the burglary rate is only 1.4 per 1000 households, whereas in Birmingham that number ratchets up to around 21 per 1000.
The 2022 data coincides with the announcement that chief constables across England and Wales would ensure that the police attend all reported domestic burglaries. The news followed startling information that, in the last year alone, the police had dropped more than a million burglary and theft cases after failing to find a suspect.
The Home Office data also revealed that, on average, each break-in costs £1400, in terms of the value of property stolen.
Meanwhile, the proportion of all crimes resulting in a suspect being arrested and charged has fallen to just 5.4% - almost three times less than the number from just seven years ago.
What can you do to protect your home against burglary?
Areas where there is higher housing density tend to suffer from more break-ins. Unless a home has been specifically targeted, most burglaries aren’t premeditated. They involve opportunistic criminals, trying their luck to see if they can find an easy point of entry.
One of the most common routes of entry is by what is known as lock snapping a front or back door. This is where a burglar will snap the lock out of the door, for simple, unobtrusive access.
For this reason, it is recommended that you install high security, snap resistant locks to all your doors. Even if the lock is snapped, the door shouldn’t open.
There are a number of tips like this that you can follow to make your home safer. However, the biggest deterrent of all is to install a clearly visible burglar alarm. An alarm system can be applied in a number of ways, depending upon the size and layout of the property. Used in conjunction with other precautionary measures you can take, such as keeping all doors and windows locked when you are away from the property, this is the most effective layer of security you can implement to deter burglars.
If you are concerned about your home security and the number of burglaries taking place in your neighbourhood, Justice Fire & Security are here to assist. Over the last 35 years, we have installed thousands of burglar alarms, door entry access systems and CCTV to homes throughout Birmingham, the wider West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Shropshire, Leicestershire and Northamptonshire. Contact our friendly staff today for a no obligation quote on 0845 257 0090 or email: admin@justicesecurity.co.uk
