Burglary
Burglary Of Domestic Dwellings; Findings From The British Crime Survey
Home Office Statistical Bulletin 18/00 by Chris Kershaw, Tracey Budd, Graham Kinshott, Joanna Mattinson, Pat Mayhew and Andy Myhill
Key findings relating to domestic burglary
Domestic burglary is relatively common in England and Wales compared with other industrialised countries. The International Crime Victimisation Survey has shown that the risk of burglary is higher in England and Wales than in the ten other countries included in the survey (Mayhew and White, 1997). To address this problem, the Home Office Crime Reduction Programme includes a three-year initiative to reduce burglary victimisation. The initiative is targeting high-risk communities and will evaluate the cost-effectiveness of different burglary reduction projects.
This report presents the results from the 2000 sweep of the British Crime Survey (BCS) in relation to burglary against domestic dwellings.
Domestic burglary comprises the following:
Burglary with entry– incidents in which the offender entered the dwelling as a trespasser with the intention of committing theft, rape, grievous bodily harm or unlawful damage. To be classified as burglary with entry the offender must have entered the property but need not have carried out their intention.
Attempted burglary– incidents in which there is clear evidence that the offender tried to enter the dwelling as a trespasser but failed. Burglary against a domestic dwelling (burglary hereafter) therefore does not necessarily entail the theft, or attempted theft, of property, or involve forced entry (it may be through an open window or involve the use of false pretences).
This report examines the total number of burglaries in 1999 and the trend in burglary since the first BCS, which measured crime in 1981
MAIN POINTS
Extent of burglary
The 2000 British Crime Survey estimated 1.28million burglaries against domestic dwellings in England and Wales in 1999. Around four in ten (523,000) were attempts in which the offenders failed to gain entry to the home.
The BCS estimates that £680million worth of property was stolen in burglaries, with the cost of damage amounting to £180m.
The number of burglaries fell by 27% between 1995 and 1999.
Risks of burglary
4.3% of households in England and Wales were burgled in 1999, but less than 1% of households suffered 42% of burglaries.
The households at most risk were those occupied by a single parent (3.9 times the national average); and those where the head of the household was aged 16-24 (3.1 times the national average) or a student (2.3 times the national average).
One-fifth of households burgled in 1999 experienced more than one incident in the year. 13% were burgled twice and 7% three or more times.
Nature of burglary
Burglaries are equally likely to happen at weekends as during the week, but two-thirds of weekend burglaries occur between 6pm and 6am, whereas those during the week are more evenly spread.
In most burglaries with entry, force was used to gain entry, but in over a quarter (27%) the offender entered via an open window or unlocked door.
In a quarter (26%) of burglaries someone was at home and aware of what was happening. In a tenth (13%) of burglaries violent or threatening behaviour was used. Victims were emotionally affected in 87% of all burglaries.
Security
Ownership of security devices increased substantially between 1992 and 2000. In 2000 half (50%) of all households had security lights and over a quarter (26%) had burglar alarms.
The evidence from the BCS suggests security devices are very effective in reducing the risk of burglary victimisation.
Targeting action
The BCS gives some valuable clues about where best to target effort to reduce burglary, but local analysis of the problem and the best approach to tackling it is important.
Getting a copy
"Burglary: Practice Messages from the British Crime Survey" is available in PDF format here 
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Last update: Friday, September 15, 2006