House burglaries across Hampshire and Isle of Wight have dropped 28 per cent, new figures have revealed.
During last year, there were 3,855 burglaries at homes in the two counties – 28 per cent fewer than in 2011 – a report by the Office for National Statistics published has stated.
Hampshire Constabulary said that equates to two break-ins per 1,000 population and five per 1,000 households and it was also the biggest drop in the number of burglaries among the 43 forces in England and Wales over that time.
The report noted crime figures for the year ending December 2012.
Total crime across the force area was down 16 per cent to 111,665 offences in 2012 – the second biggest reduction across England and Wales.
All crime types across the two counties saw reductions, including a 27 per cent drop in robbery and 18 per cent decrease in violent crime with injury
Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “I appreciate that having your home broken into can be a devastating experience and over the last few years, we’ve invested significant resources into investigating burglaries.
“My police officers, staff and volunteers have delivered incredibly well against a backdrop of significant savings to the public purse while helping to reduce crime and keep people safe.
“We will continue our relentless pursuit of bringing to justice those people who commit these offences while at the same time providing advice to householders to help prevent them being broken into in the first place.”
Simon Hayes, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire, welcomed the figures and said it reflected the excellent achievements of Hampshire Constabulary in reducing crime levels.