Police report fall in number of burglaries

Reports of burglaries in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area have dropped by a massive 26 per cent over the past 12 months, police have revealed.
Cllr John Palmer, Cllr Alexander Redpath, Chief Inspector Lorraine Dobson and PCSP Chairman Alderman Michael Henderson.Cllr John Palmer, Cllr Alexander Redpath, Chief Inspector Lorraine Dobson and PCSP Chairman Alderman Michael Henderson.
Cllr John Palmer, Cllr Alexander Redpath, Chief Inspector Lorraine Dobson and PCSP Chairman Alderman Michael Henderson.

The welcome fall in the number of break-ins across the district was reported by Chief Inspector Lorraine Dobson to a recent Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) meeting in Ballinderry.

“Burglaries are down 26 per cent since this time last year and Lisburn and Castlereagh has a better than service average outcomes rate for burglary,” she said.

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Appealing for people to step up their home security, Chief Inspector Dobson revealed that approximately one third of burglaries are opportunistic crimes involving unlocked doors and windows.

Revealing more good news in the local fight against crime, the senior police officer added: “Lisburn and Castlereagh PSNI have the best clear up rate across Northern Ireland’s policing districts with an overall clearance rate of 34 per cent for all crime in the area.”

UUP Cllr Alexander Redpath, who requested the meeting in Ballinderry Parish Hall to discuss rural crime, welcomed the positive statistics, but stressed that more still needs to be done.

“I was delighted to hear that overall burglaries are down 26 per cent since this time last year and that Lisburn and Castlereagh has the best outcomes rate of any area in Northern Ireland for burglaries,” he said.

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“The PSNI were eager to credit the fall in crime to their excellent partnership with local communities and Neighbourhood Watch schemes. Countless burglaries have been foiled by local residents reporting suspicious cars to the PSNI before a crime takes place.”

Cllr Redpath added: “There is still much to be done. Thirty per cent of burglaries are opportunistic crimes involving unlocked doors and windows and I can’t stress enough how important it is to make offending as difficult as possible for prospective burglars.”