Beating burglary together

A NEW police initiative aims to enlist the support of the people of Lincolnshire in “beating burglary together”.

The force said the scheme will demonstrate burglary is a priority for Lincolnshire Police and show its commitment to protecting communities and bringing perpetrators to justice. It will also aim to increase trust and confidence in the force while highlighting who is at risk of burglary and what can be done to reduce that risk.

Detective Chief Inspector Jo Fortune explained: “This is about showing what we do to tackle burglary, from the moment an incident is reported; how we investigate, our commitment to attend every report of a burglary of a home, how we build a case, and how we use information to understand the problem and address it.”

Based on 1,000 snapshot survey responses, burglary was the top recorded answer when respondents were asked what crime concerned them most and DCI Fortune added: “We know that burglary is a top concern for our communities and we need to show that Lincolnshire Police recognises this and prioritises it. To have your home burgled is invasive and upsetting. We want to show the good work that goes on behind the scenes to reduce burglary and protect potential victims.

“Over the coming months, we will be providing an insight into what we do; how we investigate burglary, how our Crime Reduction Tactical Advisor protects victims, how we work in collaboration to tackle cross border criminals, and how we deal with prolific offenders through Integrated Offender Management.

“The idea that we are ‘beating burglary together’ means a commitment to show what we have done, where improvements have been made to our service, and to keep people informed of emerging risks, trends and hotspots. In turn we hope this will inspire communities to look out for each other, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable.”

The campaign was launched to coincide with the first official day of summer, June 21. It’s a season that adds to the challenges of crime prevention with open doors and windows making homes vulnerable to reach-in or sneak-in burglaries.

“Lots of people will go on holiday over the coming months but before you set off, think about any visual indications that your home is empty. For example, is your mail visible and likely to pile up on your doormat? Have you left your bin out for collection? This is where good neighbours can be invaluable.”

The campaign will give a detailed picture of where and when incidents occur and what is being done to tackle them.

The graphic above shows a heatmap of all county home burglaries between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023.

The Lincoln areas with greater number of incidents recorded last year were Carholme (61 incidents) and Lincoln Abbey ward (54 incidents). A spike in the numbers recorded in January (54 incidents in total compared with a monthly average of 43 incidents), included a series (Operation Exact) where a particular modus operandi was identified with homes on main roads targeted in the Lincoln Abbey and Carholme areas.

If you see a crime in progress call 999 For reporting suspicious activity or information about committing burglary or stolen goods, call 101. Alternatively, you can anonymously call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. For crime prevention visit https://www.lincs.police.uk/cp/crimeprevention/protect-home-crime/.

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