THAMES Valley Police said burglary remained a ‘priority area’ – as police chiefs nationally pledged to send officers to all home burglaries.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council promised that forces would attend all residential thefts, releasing a new set of standards they hope will see more burglaries solved.

A Thames Valley Police spokeswoman could not say what proportion of domestic burglaries were attended by officers currently, although she noted that there had been a 38 per cent fall in residential burglaries in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the same period in 2019.

“We know that being burgled is a traumatic experience. It is not just the financial cost of replacing stolen items, but also the emotional impact of feeling violated after a burglar has been in your home,” she said.

“Burglary remains a priority area for the force and officers will do all they can to identify early forensic and investigative lines of enquiry and bring offenders to justice.”

The force added: “Our officers continue to attend residential burglaries as well as sharing home security advice to help ensure our communities feel safe in their homes.”

NPCC chairman Martin Hewitt said: "The number of burglaries is at an all-time low - down 51 per cent over the past decade due to increased investment by police and partners in preventing them happening in the first place.

"Wherever you live in England and Wales you can be confident the police will attend if you experience the invasion of a home burglary. This should see more burglaries solved and more offenders prosecuted."

Last week, new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said that officers in the capital will go to every reported burglary as the crime was ‘too serious an intrusion’ for officers not to attend.

In her Conservative Party conference speech on Tuesday, Home Secretary Suella Braverman praised forces which are already promising to visit the scene of every burglary, the Press Association reported.

She told delegates in Birmingham that the ‘law-abiding majority expect every force to investigate every neighbourhood crime - and so do I’.

Welcoming the commitment to attend every residential burglary, she said it would send a clear message to criminals ‘that this is a high-risk crime which they won't be getting away with’.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: "While this is a positive step, without proper resources from the Government this pledge risks being nothing more than a box-ticking exercise."

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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