Burglary a top priority despite the crime drop

Statistics released by the Home Office for the period September 2011 to September 2012 show the overall number of burglaries, which includes both homes and businesses, is down 18 per cent – but the figure remains above the national average.

West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson said: “West Yorkshire Police continues to perform well in difficult times with crime falling at a faster level on average in the force area when compared to other areas in England and Wales.

“It is particularly good to see that there has been less violent crime overall.

“However, we continue to suffer with a high burglary rate and although these figures show a clear drop we are still high when compared to other forces - 13 burglaries per 1,000 population compared to a national average of nine per 1,000 population.

“I will be including burglary as a priority in the Police and Crime Plan 2013/14 and to make sure people in West Yorkshire feel safer and are safer in their communities.”

When compared with the previous year, figures show there were 17,929 fewer victims of crime and burglary of dwellings was down 27 per cent. Vehicle crime dropped by 12 per cent, while violent crime and robbery were both down by 11 per cent.