Police chiefs in England and Wales have committed to attend all home burglaries.
The move follows evidence from the College of Policing and will help police catch more burglars and support victims after a traumatic and invasive experience.
Some forces already have a policy of attending all home burglaries. Others attend where it has been established that there are evidential lines of enquiry or where victims are vulnerable or elderly.
Police chiefs took the decision after considering public opinion, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services’ (HMICFRS) report on acquisitive crime and reviewing a new rapid evidence assessment produced by the College of Policing on effective measures for solving burglary crimes.
The College is setting new clear standards, making clear domestic burglaries should be attended, which HMICFRS will take into account in determining the efficiency and effectiveness of forces.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Chair Martin Hewitt, said:
“The number of burglaries is at an all-time low, down 51 per cent over the past decade due to increased investment by police and partners in preventing them happening in the first place.
“Wherever you live in England and Wales you can be confident the police will attend if you experience the invasion of a home burglary. This should see more burglaries solved and more offenders prosecuted.”
Chief constables will work to ensure this commitment is implemented as soon as practically possible. They will prioritise attendance where people’s homes have been burgled, as opposed to outbuildings and garden sheds.
The College of Policing, who set the standards for policing, set out the benefits of officers attending domestic burglaries in a recent letter to all chiefs. The evidence review shared by the College set out how rapid police attendance at scenes can increase victim satisfaction and help with investigations. It can also help with the prevention of future crimes in the area.
National Police Chiefs’ Council and the College of Policing wrote to the Home Secretary to inform her of the new standards and the decision of Chiefs on September 30.
CC Andy Marsh, CEO of the College of Policing, said:
“Any intrusion into our home can be traumatic. It’s not just the loss of possessions but the way a burglary can steal a person’s sense of security from the place where they should feel safest.
“Officers across the country want to be locking up criminals and keeping communities safe. Our standards will help bring consistency to the police’s response, enable them to get the basics right and deliver what the public expect.”
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Burglary, Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith, said:
“Burglary has a significant and long-lasting effect on victims. Police officers up and down the country are committed to bringing more offenders to justice and this decision will bring greater consistency across England and Wales in the way we respond to, and investigate, offences of burglary.
“We will work closely with the College of Policing to improve investigative standards and we will continue to invest in the important preventative work with our many partners in an effort to keep offending levels at an all-time low.”
From West Mercia Police:
You may have seen news coverage this week around the police service and the response to home burglaries. We’re eager to make sure you know what we do as your local force to respond and tackle these crimes.
While the number of burglaries locally is low, the impact of being a victim can be devastating. That’s why it is already our policy to attend all burglaries. We see the importance of this, both in terms of evidence gathering and in ensuring the right support is in place for victims and that we can help them feel safe in their homes.
We are determined to provide a quality policing service for the people of Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire and Telford and a recent survey has shown that our communities are increasingly satisfied with the response we give to burglary, as the below comments from victims in our force area show:
“You hear that the service is no good and that the police won’t do anything, but the service was all marvellous. Everything was fully explained to me. I saw a uniformed officer the forensic team, CID and the community support.”
“Everybody was so helpful (forensics and officers) I received phone calls, letters, and face-to-face visits from the police and feel my experience with the Police has been more positive now than ever.”
“The officers were open and transparent with us. There was good follow up from the community support officers who went door to door with Smartwater which made the neighbourhood more aware. The service we received exceeded our expectations.”
“I was updated by the Police more than I would have expected. I had a follow up visit to discuss the case and an officer hand-delivered a letter explaining how the case was going to be treated going forwards.”
Should you become a victim of a burglary in our force area, we have made a clear commitment of the service you’ll receive from us. You can find the full details here, including the initial response and follow up contact from your local safer neighbourhood team – everything you should rightly expect.
Through investment from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion, our officer numbers are currently the highest they have been in over a decade, and we are currently recruiting more (If you’re interested, visit our recruitment page here).
This means we can be more visible in our communities, which we know acts as a deterrent. We also have a community messaging service, Neighbourhood Matters, which you can sign up to and receive news from your local policing team straight into your inbox. We also use this to warn you if we know there has been an offence in your area, offer crime prevention advice and update you when we bring offenders to justice.
West Mercia’s Police and Crime Commissioner, John Campion said: “I am grateful to have already secured commitments from the force to attend all burglaries. Burglary can have a devastating impact and it’s the right the public get the best service in their time of need.
“Tackling burglary needs a holistic approach. I am delivering on this though the investments I have made, bringing officer numbers to their highest level in more than a decade, crime prevention through initiatives like Smartwater which are a proven to be a deterrent and targeted specialist support for those affected.”
SmartWater, forensic property marking technology, continues to be distributed throughout our communities which, together with supplied signage, warns criminals that there are crime prevention tactics in place – another deterrent.
There are still areas for improvement, and we want to be open, honest and transparent about this – the number of investigations that result in a charge is not where we want it to be. This is something we are working to improve in conjunction with the Crown Prosecution Service. We will do better.
We are proud of the service that we give to victims of burglary, but we will never stop learning and evolving to ensure that we are doing all we can to protect people from harm and to bring offenders to justice.
For free and confidential support and advice, for those affected by crime call the Victim Advice Line on 0800 952 3000 or visit Victim Advice Line – Free and Confidential Support
