Introduction: About This Toolkit

Domestic Burglary affects many of us and can bring misery, despair and inconvenience. The level of recorded Domestic Burglary in England and Wales has been reducing since the mid 1990s but there is no room for complacency. Domestic Burglary still accounts for around 8 per cent of all recorded crime.

That is why under Best Value, police authorities have been asked to set a target for Domestic Burglary reduction and publish it as part of their Best Value Performance Plan.

From April 2001, crime and disorder reduction partnerships will be asked to set targets for Domestic Burglary. These partnerships are at the heart of the Government's Crime Reduction Strategy for achieving and sustaining reductions in crime.

The Crime Reduction Strategy launched by the Government last November, sets out the steps to reduce crime and how police, local authorities, crime and disorder reduction partnerships and government departments are working together to set challenging but realistic targets for reducing crime. http://www.crimereduction.gov.uk/crssummary.htm

The Domestic Burglary toolkit is one of a series of 22 toolkits designed to help all those involved in crime reduction to work as effectively as possible. The toolkit brings together information on the latest developments, research findings and promising approaches to reducing domestic burglary. It includes tools for identifying problems, developing responses and monitoring progress. It also highlights practical measures to make communities safer.

The effectiveness of the toolkits relies on your help. We very much welcome contributions and advice on how to improve their content and approach. There are details on how you can help improve this site at 'Reporting Innovation'.