The Crime Prevention Website

From the Telegraph online:

As many as four in five burglaries go unsolved, figures have revealed - prompting fresh questions about how police respond to the crime.

Forces in England and Wales closed 80.2 per cent of investigations into break-ins without identifying a suspect in 2014/15.

An analysis of Home Office data published last month showed that just one in 15 burglaries (6.6 per cent) led to a charge or summons.

A fierce debate has erupted in recent weeks over how police approach burglary inquiries in the face of budget cuts and staff losses.

Sara Thornton, one of the country's most senior officers, has suggested police might not always attend homes after they are broken into and raised the possibility of burglary victims sending evidence to police over the internet.

Read the rest: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/11800201/Four-in-five-burglaries-go-unsolved-official-figures-show.html

TCPW Comment: None of this is surprising. The burglars that do get caught are normally arrested by police at the scene of the crime (having been spotted by a neighbour who called the police) or at a much later time due to forensic evidence found at the scene that can be linked to a suspect. But with so few burglars being caught it is up to us to prevent the crimes in the first place.

Crime prevention not only prevents crime, but helps the police catch the offenders if crime is committed

This is how....

  • Forcing the thief to break glass to gain entry through a door or window increases the likelihood of forensic evidence being left behind, such as finger and palm prints, shoe prints, DNA, clothing fibres and tool marks
  • Forcing a secure door or window makes noise, which might be heard by the neighbours who then call the police
  • A well-secured door or window takes longer to break through and so increases the opportunity for the thief’s discovery
  • If the thief is caught in possession of marked property near the scene or when he is trying to sell it on then there is a much better chance for a successful prosecution. Likewise, you can further help the police by employing DNA spraying devices that mark the offender and tie them to the scene.

It is far better to have put measures in place to prevent a crime than be moaning about the police when they have failed to catch the offender.

You just know it makes sense!

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