Despite past increases in burglary during times of hardship, the home sceretary has stated burglary is not inevitably going to rise this time.
Daniel Sandford - BBC home affairs correspondent - has stated that over the last 30 years, burglary appeared to have risen in times of economic hardship, like in the mid-80’s and early 90’s. Research has shown that toward the end of 2008 burglary began to sharply rise for the first time since 2000.
The home secretary, Mrs Smith, made the comments at a burglary summit for police, insurance firms, DIY stores, charities and the CCTV industry which also conincided with the start of a crime prevention campaign for England and Wales.
Ms Smith told BBC Breakfast she wanted to “get on the front foot” adding: “I think it’s important that we act before there’s a problem.
“I want to make sure that we’re providing people with the best possible advice to protect their homes, that we’re bringing together the partners that can help to keep burglary down.”
The summit aims to work out ways of reducing crime during this difficult period and looks to help people on low incomes to improve their home security. One approach has already been launched; a website offering a short test to determine how well a persons home is protected.
A series of simple questions are asked, such as: “do you lock the doors when leaving the house” and “is your house monitored by CCTV cameras”. The result of the test then determines how protected a home is and offers advice on how security can be improved.
Tags: CCTV, Home Security
