Lockdown spark burglaries fall

Figures from the national police crime database show Northumbria Police received 597 reports of burglaries in November - compared to 649 in November 2019 – a drop of eight per cent.

The figures also show that crime as a whole increased by 11% in the force area during the month – with burglaries representing 3.5% of reports, compared to 4.2% of all offences in November 2019.

Durham Constabulary received 291 reports of burglaries in November, compared to 365 in November 2019 – down 20%.

Burglaries represented 4.9% of crime reports – down from 5.4% a year earlier, and total crime fell by 11%.

Nationally, there were 22,200 burglaries in November – down 26% on the previous year.

Insurance company Aviva warned that nearly two-thirds of raids happen while people are in their homes.

Kelly Whittington, property claims director at Aviva, said: “The number of home theft claims in November was lower but lockdown has not put a stop to all criminal activity.

"Most burglaries are opportunistic. If a door or window is left unlocked, someone can be in and out of a house in just a seconds and people on another floor or in another room, may not even be aware of an intruder.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council chairman, Martin Hewitt, said: “Crime remains lower than at the same point last year but, during this pandemic, cyber-crime has increased, and we would urge everyone to take measures to protect themselves online.”