The burglary map of England & Wales

Getting burgled is one of those things that we never expect to happen to us – it’s something that happens in the movies, or to people living in rough areas, or to those who are simply careless.

The reality is that in September 2016 burglary accounted for almost 7% of all crimes reported throughout England & Wales. It’s certainly a lot more common that people think.

It’s important to be aware of burglary rates in your area and also in any area where you think you might want to move.

That’s why we’ve trawled burglary data since December 2010 to create this map showing the burglary rate (burglaries per 1,000 people) by council area.

The council areas with the highest burglary rates are:

  • City of London – 163.01
  • Hull – 88.39
  • Manchester – 85.97
  • North East Lincolnshire – 85.02
  • Bradford – 79.43

The council areas with the lowest burglary rates are:

  • Ceredigion – 13.49
  • Pembrokeshire – 14.2
  • Powys – 17.05
  • Carmarthenshire – 17.54
  • Isle of Wight – 18.29

With the vast amount of wealth present in the City of London, and its relatively low population, it’s unsurprising that it has by far the highest burglary rate per 1,000 people. As the map shows, burglaries are far more likely to happen in cities in general, especially in the midlands and north of England.

Perhaps more interesting is that the four areas that attract the least amount of burglaries are all based in Wales. Why could this be? We spoke to the Dyfed-Powys Force to find out. A spokesperson said:

“Burglary is an invasion of each and everyone’s privacy and can on occasion ruin householders’ lives.

“The officers and staff of Dyfed Powys Police have developed good relationships with their communities and crime prevention advice is regularly discussed with the public.

“Our communities are also very supportive of the police and report any suspicious behaviour or persons in their towns and villages.

“We also work closely with partner agencies in the Community Safety Partnerships to actively promote crime prevention.”

The secret, then, appears to be working as a community. If you see anything suspicious happening in your neighbourhood, don’t just ignore it – it’s better to be safe than sorry. If thieves feel your area is particularly vigilant, they’re less likely to target it.

Anyone who has information about a crime can contact police on 101 or provide information to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.