According to the Daily Mail, the number of burglaries soared by 14 percent last year to the equivalent of more than one every minute, figures show.
The increase threatened to overshadow a further fall in the overall level of crime, which is at the lowest since records began in 1981.
The British Crime Survey figures, based on interviews with the public found that there were 734,000 burglaries in 2010, an increase of 90,000
There are fears it could climb further if police forces, which are cutting budgets by a fifth, reduce frontline officers rather than backroom posts.
The 14 per cent increase was contradicted by the police’s own recorded crime figures, which showed burglary was down by 7 per cent. Neighbourhood watch groups said victims may no longer be bothering to report break-ins to the police.
Police may also be reclassifying attempted break-ins, such as damage to an outside door, as criminal damage rather than attempted burglary.
From the Daily Mail Thursday April 21 2011
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 at 11:12 am and is filed under News .
