The UK areas with the highest number of burglaries based on population have been ranked in new research. A study of police data found that Middlesbrough is the place were people were most likely to have their house broken into.
Research by Confused.com found there were 7.86 burglaries per 1,000 people in the region last year. However, the rate of burglaries in the region has decreased by 7.89% annually since 2017 - the biggest average annual decrease in reported burglaries in the UK from the 10 most burglary-prone places.
Manchester has been revealed as the second UK region with the highest number of burglaries, with 7.11 burglaries reported per 1,000 people in 2021. Last year, Manchester experienced 7.6% more burglaries than the neighbouring region, Bolton (6.57 burglaries per 1,000).
Doncaster has been revealed as the third UK region with the highest number of burglaries, with 6.96 burglaries reported per 1,000 people in 2021. This is 2% fewer occurrences than Manchester (7.11 burglaries per 1,000).
Nearly half of the top 10 least safest places to live in the UK fall in London
Kensington and Chelsea are among the UK regions with the highest number of burglaries, with 6.60 burglaries reported per 1,000 people in 2021. However, the rate of burglaries in the region has decreased by 6.39% each year since 2017, just behind Middlesbrough (7.89% decrease).
Hammersmith and Fulham are also among the UK regions with the highest number of burglaries, with 6 occurrences per 1,000 people last year. However, the rate of burglaries has decreased by 4.59% each year since 2017.
Property owners in Scotland are least likely to experience a burglary
East Dunbartonshire, Scotland, is the safest region in the UK to live in, with just 0.44 burglaries reported per 1,000 people in 2021. The rate of burglaries in the region has dropped by 26.94% each year, on average, since 2017. This is the second biggest average annual decrease in reported burglaries in the study, second only to Folkestone and Hythe (27.52% decrease).
East Dunbartonshire was followed by four more Scottish regions, Highland (0.47 burglaries per 1,000 people), Aberdeenshire (0.50), Stirling (0.56) and Argyll and Bute (0.58).
The South-West have the safest homes in England
Of the top 10 safest homes in the UK overall, four of them are from the South–West of England. South Devon and Dartmoor residents have the safest homes in England with 0.60 burglaries per 1,000 people. This is a 4.76% decrease from East and Mid Devon (0.63), England’s second safest region.
North Devon is the third safest region in England, with just 0.76 burglaries per 1,000 – placing it 9th in the UK overall. Following just 3.95% in front of North Devon is Cornwall, with just 0.79 burglaries per 1,000 people in 2021. This means that residents of Cornwall live in the joint tenth (with West Lothian) safest place to live in the UK.
Isle of Anglesey and Powys and Pembrokeshire have the lowest burglary rates in Wales
and Pembrokeshire, as well as the Isle of Anglesey are the safest Welsh regions to live in. The Isle of Anglesey has only 1.1 burglaries per 1,000 people. Powys and Pembrokeshire has 1.59 burglaries per 1,000 people in 2021. Pembrokeshire experienced the third-fewest number of burglaries in Wales overall, with 202 thefts in 2021. Burglary rates in the region have also dropped an average of 4.96% a year since 2017.
Powys witnessed just 212 burglaries last year, a staggering 41.27% decrease to neighbouring region, Wrexham (316). The rate of burglaries in Powys has dropped an average of 1.43% a year since 2017, 0.91% more than in Newport (0.52% drop).
Residents of Mid Ulster live in Northern Ireland’s safest region
Mid Ulster has been revealed as Northern Ireland’s safest region to live in, with 0.93 burglaries per 1,000 people in 2021. The region experienced the third-fewest number of burglaries in Northern Ireland, with 138 thefts last year. Only Mid and East Antrim (134 thefts) and Fermanagh and Omagh (118 thefts) experienced fewer.
Jessica Willock, home insurance expert at Confused.com comments: “Although burglary rates seem to be dropping year on year, it’s still as important to make sure your home is safe. Security cameras and burglary alarms aren’t only a great deterrent from potential thieves but having them could reduce your home insurance prices.
“Our guide to protecting your home from burglars outlines some of the most effective ways of keeping your house safe. This includes some simple changes, such as investing in smart home security. Nowadays, technology has advanced to give us cheap, easy to install smart home devices such as doorbells and automated lights. These let you know who’s outside without you needing to go near the door.”
