UK burglaries increase 14 percent

14/07/11

By Shane Gladstone

A UK-wide crime survey has shown that the number of burglaries in Britain rose 14% over the last 12 months.

The British Crime Survey - based on interviews with more than 45,000 households - revealed that burglaries are on the rise after falling 9 per cent the previous year.

The survey estimated that during the 2010/11 period 9.6 million crimes had taken place in Britain. This was compared to 9.5 million over the previous 12 months.

The poll found that the levels at which overall crime was falling eased over the period following a number of "sustained reductions" which kicked in around 15 years ago.

But the figures showed that the number of police-recorded crimes was 4.2 million - against 4.3 million the previous year.

Meanwhile, separate figures showed that thefts of mobile phones, wallets and purses from pubs, household property from gardens, and metal or industrial equipment also climbed 10 per cent.