Police target fake break-ins (From Oxford Mail)

Police target fake break-ins

5:52pm Wednesday 15th July 2009 in

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Police fear people are faking break-ins to cash in on their insurance during the recession.

Oxfordshire has suffered a 10 per cent rise in burglaries over the past three months compared to the previous year and police have launched a new drive to bring it back down.

The recession and unemployment is being blamed by officers in part, but they also fear the harder economic times may lead people to say they were burgled so they can claim on their insurance.

Det Supt Barry Halliday launched the review last week.

There are no figures for fake break-in claims but Mr Halliday said: “We are aware of false reporting in the current economic climate.

“There may well be an increase in false reporting.

“We need to ensure quality time is invested in victims but we must make sure we identify any false reporting.

“We are doing a review because we want to improve our detection capability for burglaries and reduce the number of victims.”

Officers have sat down with convicted burglars and victims to discover how successful police are in investigating break-ins. Det Supt Halliday said: “Burglary has always been a priority for Thames Valley Police but the reality is we can do better when compared to other forces.

“When a burglary occurs the officer may take the decision to knock on a few doors or drop some leaflets as they feel appropriate.

“But the feedback is that we should knock on every door in the street.

“More than almost any other crime burglary has a big impact on the victim.”

Victims who spoke to police at a conference in Abingdon last Thursday have pleaded for more contact from officers when an investigation is on-going.

There were 464 burglaries in Oxfordshire between April 1 and June 1 this year compared to 425 during the same period last year. During the same period in 2007, 484 break-ins were reported.

Anyone needing advice to tackle house burglaries should contact their local crime prevention adviser on 08458 505505.