Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness has pledged to continue to tackle burglaries throughout the North East.
The PCC’s ‘Fighting Crime’ plan has established several moves to improve how burglaries can be better prevented.
These include regularly publishing data so the general public can view how Northumbria Police tackle burglaries throughout the area and back safety measures in high risk areas to help people feel secure in their own homes.
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Ms McGuinness said: ”Burglary is a crime that often feels deeply personal, and many people taking part in my police and crime plan survey said they wanted to see those who commit this crime brought to justice. I’m proud to be Police Commissioner for a force that has a strong track record in tackling burglary.”
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) claimed the average financial impact of a burglary to a victim from April 2019 to March 2020 was £2,856.
The PCC told councillors from across the region the police will be in receipt of funding from the Home Office to tackle burglaries, especially in rural areas. Ms McGuinness also told councillors there has been improvement on how crimes in the region are being responded to.
A total of 77% of 999 emergency calls made to Northumbria Police were answered within the call handling standard (10 seconds), on average within 29 seconds. However, in the 12 months to March 2021 88% of emergency calls were answered within the standard, with an average answer time of eight seconds.
In the ‘Fighting Crime’ plan, Ms McGuinness said: “I am ensuring that the force recruits more call handlers, as set out above. The recruitment plan for call handlers is in place, with the second cohort of recruits in 2022 working independently to increase call handling coverage. The third cohort (18staff) will commence on 9 May 2022”.
On a national level, incidents of burglary have been on the decline since December 1993, according to ONS data.
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