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Burglaries up by 30 per cent in Northamptonshire

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Published Date: 03 April 2009
Four homes were broken into every day in the north of the county, with the number of burglaries rising by nearly 30 per cent in the past 12 months.

New crime figures for the year show 1,483 homes were raided, many of them by repeat offenders only just released from prison or by drug addicts.

But overall crime for the north of the county fell by 1.4 per cent, or 378 offences, to 27,501 and by 5.9 per cent for the whole of Northamptonshire.

Senior police officers have pledged to tackle the number of break-ins by launching new initiatives this year, which could include better lighting and other security measures for vulnerable householders such as the elderly or single parents.

And an extra 20 police officers are set to hit the streets in Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough and Rushden as police bid to further reduce crime.

The annual crime figures released today also show robbery is an increasing problem, with a 20 per cent rise, or 57 offences, to 332 attacks.

Some of that has been attributed to a rise in 'taxing', which is when young people demand cash, cigarettes or mobile phones from other youngsters.

Area commander for North Northamptonshire Chief Supt Paul Fell said he was concerned about the rise in the number of burglaries, particularly in Wellingborough and East Northamptonshire.

He said: "There's clear evidence to show a significant proportion of house burglaries are linked to substance abuse, in the main, Class A drugs.

"We have started and will continue to have a real focus around drug use and drug supply and will be issuing warrants to arrest suppliers.
"There has also been a significant number of prolific offenders out of prison this year."

More offenders are now breaking in to houses to steal car keys because new cars are so secure.

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  • Last Updated: 03 April 2009 9:13 AM
  • Source: n/a
  • Location: Kettering
 
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DT,

Kettering 03/04/2009 11:04:52
Finally, the connection is publicly made. Thanks.
Unfortunately beat police won't prevent it unless they are going on the beat in the middle of the night.
The burglars I caught in my garden at 4am passed many security lights, my house lights were on, and many rear windows were open due to the weather. They also walked up a crunchy stone path to get to my back door.
If they are determined, nothing will stop them, and there simply are no policeman walking about at 4am.
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Northantsbornandbred,

03/04/2009 11:22:42
Shoot the filthy scum like Tony Martin did.
Would the world really miss thieving druggies too much? I don't think so!
Shoot the dirty scum.
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NicB,

03/04/2009 13:15:34
DT is spot on, as usual - people keep banging on about getting more "bobbies on the beat", but the numbers clearly and repeatedly show that patrols are a total waste of time and resources.

Targetted policing is what works. A couple of officers talking to civilians is needed to gather information (In Wellingborough, Nick Price does an excellent job of that). But I'd rather have the rest of the officers nicking criminals than wandering around on the streets causing a small radius of people temporarily behaving themselves and not actually arresting anyone at all. Sometimes, targetted policing will put coppers "on the beat" - peak drinking times for example, but it's still targetted at a specific problem and therefore more likely to actually help.

So, we know there's a link between Class A and burglars. Great, now the police can concentrate on drug users and have a knock-on effect of reducing burglary.
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soldier878,

Northants 03/04/2009 13:38:16
DT a little short sighted me thinks..just how many policemen do you think would be needed in Kettering to be outside evry house at 4 am?
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NicB,

03/04/2009 17:06:49
Soldier878 - I think the point DT was making (and I agree), is that "bobbies on the beat" are not actually not a lot of use because, as you say, they can't be outside every house at 4am.

The police saying "it's linked to Class A drugs, so we're going to go after that" is a positive response which should lead to a much more productive police operation than just more coppers.
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DT,

Kettering 04/04/2009 00:30:24
I was not suggesting guards on every house! Isn't there some middle-ground?
There have been a few foot patrols visible around here just lately, which is great, but on weekday afternoons, it is dead quiet (and relatively safe).
In the middle of the night, policing is just not visible, if it is done at all (barring call-outs). There are no foot patrols as far as I know, and I have never seen a vehicle patrol either, except near the clubs.
When I caught these lads, I telephoned the police, who never visited me or registered it as a crime or incident (even though it was an attempted burglary). They just said they would send a car around the area to have a look - I never saw the car so I don't know if they sent one or not.
Basically the streets are a playground for criminals in the early hours - we have increasing numbers of house burglaries and also many businesses being broken into. In my humble opinion it is time for street foot patrols backed up by vehicle patrols at that time.
Otherwise what deterrent is there? Getting caught or even seen doesn't seem to be one because there is little risk of it.
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