Covid lockdowns blamed for rise in Christmas burglaries

New household break-in data gathered by the Echo shows 32 break-ins were reported between December 20 and 27 last year. 

However, in 2021 that figure was down to 23 and in 2020 it was 28. 

Most of 2022’s break-ins were reported in Newtown, the east Southbourne and Tuckton area and Littledown and Iford. 

Detective superintendent Steven May, of Dorset Police, said there are more burglaries in 2022 compared with the previous two years because of Covid lockdowns. 

These timeframes, he said, are “incredibly unreliable for statistics” as residents were “confined to their homes for long durations”.

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He said the long-term trend for burglary across the last five years is a “slow and sustained reduction in reports”. 

The data from a Freedom of Information request revealed that of all the burglaries reported last year (32), just three people, all men, were arrested. 

Of the 83 burglaries reported during the festive period over the past three years, just 11 arrests were made. 

DS May said: “We will always endeavour to explore all available lines of enquiry to identify those responsible for burglaries and take robust action against them. 

“However, unfortunately on occasions, there will be times when the evidence available to us does not identify any suspect. 

“We will still ensure wherever possible, particularly when we have repeat victims, that those who have been targeted are given crime prevention advice and support to help prevent them becoming victims again in the future."

Dorset Police said its approach to tackling these crimes includes targeting repeat offenders and conducting targeted patrols in burglary hotspots. 

“We have invested additional staff in a proactive team of officers concentrating on burglary and serious acquisitive crime across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole,” DS May added. 

“This means we have dedicated staff to ensure we target offenders in the community and look to prosecute them for their criminality.” 

He added: “Dorset Police is currently in the top quarter of all police forces for prosecuting those offenders responsible for dwelling burglar.  

“We will continue to work hard to improve in this area and ensure that we target those individuals who seek to break into homes and cause misery for householders.”