Burglarize - what is that?

I’m worried! 

Is it just me or have the words ‘Burglarize’ ‘Burglarized’ and ‘Burglarizing’ been gradually creeping into the UK English language from across the pond?  I’m sure I heard one of them used on BBC breakfast news last week and I definitely heard a former British police officer use ‘Burglarize’ during a lecture I heard very recently.

Now I have no problem with North Americans using burglarize if that is what they wish to do and if they want to say ‘we’ve seen an upturn in the burglarization figures’ who am I to argue? It’s their language and they can jolly well do with it what they wish.

However, to hear Brits using these unnecessarily lengthenized words instead of the more convenient ‘Burgled’, ‘Burgle’ and ‘Burgling’ is frankly beyond my comprehensionizing.  The UK English words together add up to only six syllables whereas the US English words come to a staggering TEN!

I think I shall go and lie down and resterize my head.