Burglary hotspots are revealed as figures show more than 500 homes are burgled every day

In England and Wales, more than 500 homes were broken into every day last year, new data shows.

Insurer Churchill’s figures are based on data from 44 police departments and found that 527 home burglaries were reported each day – an increase from 2021, when there were 523 burglaries per day.

The largest annual percentage increases in burglaries were in Leicestershire, Staffordshire and Cleveland, with increases of 39 per cent, 30 per cent and 26 per cent respectively.

London residents reported the most burglaries last year, with the Metropolitan Police receiving 40,257 reports, followed by Greater Manchester with 16,761 and the West Midlands with 15,844 respectively.

Some of the biggest drops in home burglaries last year were in Devon and Cornwall, Merseyside and South Wales.

In Devon and Cornwall, burglaries fell by 21 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year, while burglaries also fell by 16 per cent in Merseyside and 12 per cent in South Wales.

The study showed that in 2022 there were 3,536 serious home burglaries in which the criminal was armed with a firearm or weapon.

That means there were 103 more serious burglaries last year than in 2021.

It follows a separate Churchill survey of burglary victims, which found that more than one in 10 households – up from 12 per cent – had been burglarized in the past five years.

Of the burglaries, the vast majority of 97 percent said it had an impact on their family and daily life.

More than half of the burglars (54 percent) were in the building at the time of the break-in, while this was not the case for 44 percent.

Most burglary victims reported experiencing a mixture of feelings at the time, but feeling angry in 27 percent, feeling unsafe in 23 percent and fear in 19 percent were the most common.

The average value of items stolen in burglaries was £1,368. Jewelry at 18 percent, laptops or computers at 17 percent, and cash at 17 percent were the most commonly stolen items.

Sarah Khan, from Churchill Home Insurance, said: ‘This research highlights the importance of being extra vigilant as burglaries are on the rise in many parts of England and Wales.

‘It is worrying that many burglaries are committed while the victims are at home. In hot summer weather it can be tempting to leave the windows open in the evening or at night.

‘However, it is important to take extra security measures to make it as difficult as possible for potential intruders by checking that your doors, windows and garden gates are locked and keeping valuables out of sight. Installing security lights, an alarm system or a smart doorbell can also make your home safer.

‘As the average burglary results in the loss of over £1,000 worth of property, it’s prudent to ensure you have adequate contents and building cover.

‘Not only do our policies cover the cost of replacement properties, but our burglary control team is always on hand to replace broken locks, secure broken windows and board up broken door panels to ensure our customers feel safe in their homes as quickly as possible . possibly after a burglary.’

All police forces were looked at in the study, including the British Transport Police – but they were removed from the map of the top ten worst affected areas – increased in percentage – because the actual total number is so small.