141.2 festive break-ins per 100,000 people served: South Yorkshire Police among top rates

A new study by personal injury experts, claims.co.uk, analysed data from Data.Police.UK to find the number of burglaries recorded by each UK police force between November and December in 2022 and 2023.

According to the findings, South Yorkshire Police have the highest rate of burglaries per 100,000 people served during the festive period at 141.2, which is 113 per cent above the national average of 66.2 burglaries per 100,000 people served.

The police force recorded a total of 1,788 burglaries between November and December in 2023, which is down by 16.6 per cent from the 2,144 recorded in 2022.

West Midlands Police have the second-highest rate of burglaries per 100,000 people served during the festive period at 124.9 - 89 per cent higher than the UK average.

Between November and December 2023, the police force recorded 3,615 burglaries, decreasing by only four per cent from the 3,766 recorded in 2022.

Cleveland Police rank third, with 122.7 burglaries per 100,000 people served during the festive season, which is 85 per cent above the national average.

There were 649 burglaries recorded by the police force between November and December in 2023, down by 16 per cent from 773 recorded in 2022.

At the other end of the scale, Devon & Cornwall Police have the lowest rate of burglaries during the festive period per 100,000 people served during the festive period at 27.3, which is 59 per cent below the UK average.

The police force recorded a similar number of burglaries between November and December both years, with 492 in 2022 and 496 in 2023.

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for claims.co.uk said: “It’s interesting to see how many burglaries UK police forces deal with per 100,000 people served and how these figures change depending on the area.

“Interestingly, while South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire both rank in the top five for police forces with the highest rates, the risk of a break-in is considerably lower in North Yorkshire – which ranks in the bottom 10.

“This could be attributed to North Yorkshire containing a lot more rural areas, which typically experience less crime compared to the urban areas found in cities such as Sheffield and Leeds in the south and west of the region.

“Wales also appears to be a low-risk area for burglaries, as both North Wales Police and South Wales Police place amongst the police forces with the lowest rates.

“Again, this may be partly due to the spread-out distribution of houses and businesses, making break-ins less likely.”