Commissioner praises Constabulary on consistently low burglary figures

Burglary levels have remained consistently low in Cheshire, which goes to show the steps being taken by Cheshire Constabulary have had a positive impact on local communities.

One of the responsibilities of the Commissioner is to hold the Chief Constable of Cheshire Constabulary to account on behalf of residents to ensure that the Constabulary provides an efficient and effective police service.

The main vehicle for this process is the Scrutiny Board. These quarterly meetings consider the Constabulary’s performance against the priorities identified in the Police and Crime Plan as well as a wide range of performance information relating to all aspects of policing.

During the most recent meeting on Wednesday 24 November, the Commissioner delved into the figures for burglary across the county and wanted to identify the reasons why burglary on the whole has remained consistently low.

Mention was made of the fact that one of the biggest deterrents was due to the pandemic meaning many people were in their homes more often than not. However, as more people have returned to the office and things return to a sense of the old normal, incidents of burglary haven’t risen.

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: “People in Cheshire deserve to live in a neighbourhood free from burglary. After a meeting with the Chief Constable and scrutinising the burglary offence numbers, I was delighted to see that offences of burglary have remained consistently low.

“This is down to the great work being done by the local policing units who are deterring criminals who would be looking to take profit from serious property crimes.”

Between August and July 2020 there were 4,152 burglaries committed in the county. In the same time period of 2021 this decreased by more than a quarter (26.4%), to 3,284.

John Dwyer added: “As Christmas approaches now is not the time to become complacent. Criminals will be aware that we’ll have more goods in our homes as we begin to get ready for the festive season.

“I’d encourage those who are gearing up for the holidays to take precautions, such as ensuring no valuable items are on show and windows and doors are locked to deter any would be thieves who want to take advantage.”

You can read more about the Commissioner’s scrutiny process at:

https://www.cheshire-pcc.gov.uk/what-i-do/holding-the-chief-constable-to-account/

Pictured - John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire.