Six of every seven burglaries unsolved

Police have failed to comment after it was revealed that more than 85 per cent of burglaries go unsolved.
Sussex PoliceSussex Police
Sussex Police

Over a six-year period there were 54.730 burglaries in the Thames Valley area.

But less than one in seven burglars are identified, which is the third lowest detection rate in England and Wales.

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Thames Valley Police declined to comment, despite numerous phone calls and emails from the Citizen over the past seven days, including requests made directly to the Area Commander.

The statistics were revealed following Freedom of Information requests by security firm ADT and the charity Victim Support.

These findings also show that Thames Valley Police has one of the lowest proportions of burglaries committed by under-18s. Over the six-year period from January 2008 to December 2013, 13.9 per cent of burglaries, where an offender was identified, were committed by a minor.

Nationally one in three burglaries – 32.9 per cent – is carried out by a minor.

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John Hayward Cripps, director for Victim Support, said: “From supporting thousands of burglary victims every year, we know that what they want most is for no-one else to suffer like they have.

“It’s sad that the young people committing these crimes are detrimentally affecting their peers the most.

People aged 10 -16 years old are much more likely to be the victim of a crime than at any other time in their life.”

Gail Hunter, spokesman for ADT, said: “Through our Take No More campaign with Victim Support, we have found that some of the worst affected victims of burglary are children, yet these statistics have shown that the perpetrators of the crimes are children themselves.

“Our aim is to deter burglars and give householders peace of mind.”