In England and Wales, police solve only 6% of annual burglaries, a shamefully low rate that has declined over the past few years. In Manchester, though, the last fifteen months have been quite different, and the picture is shifting.
In the wee hours of the morning in south Manchester, a notorious serial thief is apprehended for a string of robberies.
Greater Manchester Police officers were granted permission to enter and search the residence of a man suspected of stealing from student housing.
On the same day, enough evidence was obtained and analyzed to file charges against him. This was a productive morning for GMP’s officers, something they’re experiencing increasingly frequently, but it’s a rarity across the nation.
In England and Wales, police only solve 6% of annual burglaries, a startlingly low rate that has declined over the past few years. In Manchester, though, things have changed little during the past 15 months, and the picture is shifting.
The police’s vow to visit every single home burglary – launched in July 2021 – is proving a success and so it’s a model embraced by every police chief across the country.
The GMP confirmed that arrests related to burglaries had increased by 52% over the past year.
Earlier this month, police chiefs throughout the nation announced that officers will attend “all residential burglaries” for the first time.
Superintendent Chris Foster, the force’s lead for burglary, said, “We need to regain the public’s trust, so we’re working hard to improve all the basic standards, such as seeing a victim after a break-in, having a police officer attend and conduct a thorough investigation, and then tying up those links with the help of our partners so that the victim receives a proper outcome.”
He added: “We are effectively reaching out to people. We are approaching 94% of all break-ins and nearly 100% of residential break-ins.
“There are ways and means to achieve it, and if you begin problem-solving, ideally those numbers and demands will reduce, but you have to give it your complete attention.”
However, some victims are exhausted and have lost faith in the police.
In Bolton, Martin McLaughlin manages a thrift store. Because it has been burglarized eight times in the past year with little or no action taken, he has stopped reporting instances altogether.
He stated: “Even when there is CCTV and even when there are witnesses, it often feels as if they will say “we can’t do anything because there is insufficient evidence” if you hand them the evidence and say, “we have this and this.”
“When you contact them, you only receive a crime number. I don’t need a crime number; I need them to stop the individuals who are damaging the charity store.”
GMP acknowledged that it needs to do more to convince individuals like Martin.
As police departments around the nation follow the practice of responding to every burglary, they may confront significant resource constraints.
The chairman of the association of police and crime commissioners, Marc Jones, stated: “It will be difficult, especially in dense urban areas, but it is the correct thing to do.
“Police forces are obligated to make decisions, and they do so daily when determining what matters most.
“Police chiefs have made this a top priority, they have collectively agreed to fulfill this task, and they will be held accountable for its completion.”
Burglary is a very intrusive and frequently extremely distressing crime; the anguish of an unresolved case only exacerbates this.
With increasing pressure on police to improve their response, it is anticipated that this historic agreement will result in change.
