The total number of residential burglaries in London has decreased by 70% in the last decade, from 114,437 in 2015 to 33,868 in the previous financial year.
The Metropolitan Police’s increased usage of data and technology to build intelligence and track stolen items to target offenders, as well as targeting the most prolific offenders, has contributed to this continued decrease over the past ten years.
Detective Superintendent Amanda Mawhinney said: “Our focus remains on preventing burglaries, targeting repeat offenders and organised crime groups, and solving as many burglaries as we can.”
The borough of Southwark had the most residential burglaries last year, with a total of 1,920, and Camden had the second-most with 1,693, and Westminster had the third-most with 1,570.
A Met spokesperson said: “Met officers are targeting resources to hotspot areas, with increased patrols and plain clothes officers, which deter criminals and make officers more visibly available to members of the community.
“We encourage people to report as soon as possible whenever they have been a victim of theft, so officers can investigate swiftly.”
Kingston Upon Thames had the least last year with only 420 residential burglaries, and Sutton and Bexley were close behind at 464 and 524, respectively.
The most stolen property type was pedal bikes, with 2,054 bikes stolen from residences last year.
The Met Police recommend bike owners use good quality Sold Secure-rated locks, ideally gold or diamond standard, whenever the bike is not in use, even when at home.
The Met recommends owners of bikes being proactive by recording make, model, and frame details, as well as any other unique features, including dinks and scratches, on a security database.
Feature image: Free to use from Unsplash
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