Opportunistic thieves most likely to burgle these five towns in the lead-up to Christmas
As presents mount up under the Christmas tree, be aware that burglars consider this prime time to break into people's homes.
Burglary: Met Police gives advice to protect your home
A new report, put together by Howden Insurance, collated crime data from police forces across England and Wales.
Now, the top five areas that have the highest record of burglaries throughout November and December have been named.
South Yorkshire has had the highest number of break-ins during the festive period in the past three years, per 100,000 residents.
In that time frame, there have been around 6,121 burglaries reported by South Yorkshire Police, who cover Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield.
The second most burgled area over Christmas is Cleveland, which had an average burglary rate of 2,190 during November and December in the past three years.
Cleveland Police cover Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar and Cleveland.
In third place is London, where the Metropolitan Police recorded an average number of 110 burglaries per 100,000 residents.
This excludes the City of London, which averages around 9,708 burglaries per year during November and December.
The Metropolitan Police warned residents that burglars are "opportunistic thieves" who seek out "doors and windows that are left open or unlocked".
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If you have been burgled at your current address previously, then you need to be extra careful.
The Metropolitan Police said: "It’s a fact that many burglars return to homes that they’ve previously burgled.
"They sometimes return to an area to try to burgle a nearby home that they spotted while committing a previous break-in."
This is why it's crucial to upgrade your security features to help dissuade burglars from your home.
Moving on, the next most commonly burgled area is West Yorkshire with its police force recording 107 burglaries per 100,000 people.
Then Humberside ranked fifth with 97 burglaries per 100,000 residents.
Top five areas burgled
- South Yorkshire
- Cleveland
- London
- West Yorkshire
- Humberside
The safest spot, according to the data, with an average of 38 burglaries per 100,000 residents is Norfolk.
