Yahoo News Britain's worst area for unsolved burglaries where residents 'never see police'
Outer Rothwell in Leeds, West Yorkshire, had 165 burglaries reported in the past three years and all were unsolved.
Residents in an area dubbed Britain's worst for unsolved burglaries say they "never see a police officer".
According to research from the Home Office published by The Telegraph, all 165 burglaries reported in Outer Rothwell in West Yorkshire in the past three years remain unsolved.
The newspaper said that police have failed to solve a single burglary in 48% of neighbourhoods - areas with between 1,000 and 3,000 people - in England and Wales in the past three years.
The worst performing place was Outer Rothwell, part of the former coal mining town in the south east of the city of Leeds.
Retired nurse Elaine Paul, 70, a grandmother of four who lives in the area, said the figures were caused by a lack of a police presence.
"There's a lot of anti-social behaviour that goes on, particularly in the precinct and the shopping centre," she said.
"The youths that commit this anti-social behaviour, they see there's no police presence, they see no deterrent and they think they can get away with it.
"There used to be a police station that was manned in the town, but that's shut down now.
"You never see a police officer, so it's no surprise they think they can do what they want."
In October 2022, police chiefs in England and Wales vowed that officers would attend the scene of every home burglary.
One male burglary victim in Rothwell, who did not want to be named, said police went to his house after a break-in resulted in about £6,000 worth of goods being stolen from his garage.
He said crime scene investigators examined the building, but even though the suspects were captured on neighbours' CCTV, they were never caught.
The man said a gang broke into his garage and stole £3,000 worth of fishing gear and a £2,500 bike.
He has since had CCTV installed on his semi-detached house and increased security measures on his gate.
"They forced my garage doors open, they stole my bikes, stole my fishing gear," he said.
"A neighbour had ring doorbell footage and another neighbour had CCTV, they looked like they knew where they were going.
"The police did send somebody round to speak to me and the crime scene guy came to take fingerprints, but he couldn't get anything.
"I got a phone call to say they think it's a guy who had been released from prison, but I heard nothing since then.
"They were nice enough, but it doesn't get me my stuff back. I think there's a lack of funds for them and the police officers they do have are too busy doing paperwork."
Superintendent Jim Troisi from West Yorkshire Police said: “We recognise the huge impact that being burgled can have on people, whether that is in their homes or their workplace.
“Some burglaries are finalised as unsolved because of a lack of evidence or because a suspect cannot be identified.
“Our detection rates are relatively in line with other police forces in England and Wales, but we continually work to improve the quality of burglary investigations by listening to feedback from victims, looking at new and improved ways of working and training, and upskilling our officers and staff.”
According to the Home Office figures, Outer Rothwell was followed by Bransgore and Burley, Hampshire, where 152 burglaries have gone unsolved in the past three years, and Lower Quinton and Ettinghton, Warwickshire, which had 137 unsolved burglaries.
The proportion of neighbourhoods where no burglaries were solved has risen from 46 per cent in the three years to 2021 to 48 per cent in 2021-23, The Telegraph reported.
A Home Office spokesman said: "Since 2010 our communities are safer, with neighbourhood crimes including burglary, robbery and theft down 48 per cent and violent crime down 51 per cent and with more police officers in England and Wales than ever before."
How do burglars target homes in the UK?
According to the Metropolitan Police, burglars target properties for a variety of reasons.
The most obvious is if they think the home will contain valuable items, so don't leave packaging from expensive items outside your front door.
Burglars will look for homes with windows or doors that are insecure or left open, and they are aware of when people are most likely to be out of their homes, such as during the school run or holidays.
They will often target a home because they have seen something they want to steal beforehand, such as a car, motorbike or bicycle, and know the keys will be somewhere inside the property.
Burglars also target sheds and garages because they are often not very secure and can contain tools which will allow them to gain access to the home.
Many burglars will also return to homes they have previously successfully targeted if the homeowner failed to upgrade their security, the Metropolitan Police said.
Read more
Police solve no burglaries in half of the country (The Telegraph)
Warning of ‘new wave of burglars’ operating in the area (Bolton News)
Anger as 80 per cent of burglaries in West Yorkshire go unsolved (Bradford Telegraph and Argus)
