St Albans resident Sharon Allen has taken matters into her own hands after a burglar stole thousands of pounds worth of power tools from her home in October. She has been going door to door inquiring about the culprit and gathering CCTV footage from neighbouring properties, which she has given to the police. Despite being visited by an officer, Ms Allen has heard nothing since and believes the burglar is still at large in the area. Hertfordshire Constabulary has some of the worst burglary clear-up rates in England and Wales. Ms Allen feels that more police presence could deter such crimes from happening.
Recent figures show that three-quarters of residential break-ins in England and Wales remain without a suspect. The National Council of Police Chiefs (NPCC) has recently issued guidance urging officers to prioritise attending domestic break-ins within an hour of the report. This so-called “golden hour” could make a crucial difference in the case and improve the chances of catching the burglar. Additional measures include forensic tests, searches, interviewing neighbours, and obtaining CCTV footage from doorbells or security cameras.The average number of burglaries detected has been roughly 5%, considered an insufficient figure by NPCC burglary lead Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith.
Greater Manchester Police has trialled this new technique, raising the proportion of charges to almost 8%, whereas previously, only 3% were caught and charged. One police officer, Supt Chris Foster, who leads the force’s Operation Castle, described their previous attitude as “We can’t do anything about it, sorry. See you later, goodbye – crime closed.” Now, more burglars are being arrested, and burglary rates are falling. He stressed the importance of the police arriving on scene to collect evidence quickly, arresting people when necessary, and keeping everyone involved informed of their actions and procedures.
While burglary has generally declined over the past few decades, there are still over 1,000 break-ins every day in England and Wales. Emotionally, it can be a devastating experience for victims. Despite this, some police do not look at CCTV footage of the burglar and may not even attend the crime scene, which exasperates the issue. Therefore, there has been a police reformulation of their approach to address the impact of domestic burglary. Among these measures, there is the need for the police to respect the emotional trauma experienced by victims, regardless of the value of the stolen items. Ms Allen is one such victim, and although the police have not identified any suspects, she remains hopeful that there will be some progress with her case in the future
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