Hundreds of burglaries recorded in Test Valley in one year

Across the UK, 281,872 burglaries were recorded in the last year alone, which translates across to a crime rate of 4.3 burglaries for every 1,000 citizens. While these figures are far lower than other crime statistics, such as petty theft or public order offences, the severity and worse consequences of burglaries make their prevalence much more concerning.

The data, analysed by Churchill Support Services shows the cost of burglary and theft to small businesses reaches £12.9bn every year, whereas the average value of items stolen during a home burglary adds up to £2,800, with an extra £600 for damages and repairs.

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This can make burglaries financially crippling, especially if people are targeted multiple times. Of course, this is on top of any distress and inconvenience caused to family or employees. As a result, prevention is key to avoiding these dire consequences, and knowing the risks of your area is an important step in planning your response.

In the past year there were 546 burglaries in Test Valley against a population of 132,871, resulting in a burglary rate of 4.1 per 1,000 people living in the borough. Despite the number, this is a reduction of 12 per cent compared to data held from 2022 to 2023.

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The burglary rate was similar across the whole of Hampshire, which received an average burglary rate of 3.9 per 1.000, with the county seeing a total of 7,814 burglaries. This placed Hampshire as the 21st worst burglary hotspot in the UK.

There are two main types of burglary; residential and non-residential. Approximately two-thirds of burglaries are residential, which includes houses, flats, apartments, mobile homes, and student accommodation.

Non-residential burglaries is a much broader term, and encompasses small businesses, shops, offices, compounds, and industrial sites.