Burglary cases and investigations from 2019 to 2022

Freedom of information request reference no: 01.FOI.23.028353

I note you seek access to the following information:

Regarding burglary cases and investigations.

Please could you provide me with the following information:
The number of:

a. Burglary offences recorded;

b. Burglary cases that were ‘screened out’, by which I mean closed with 24 hours of being reported, without an investigation (or an alternative definition if your force uses one – please specify which definition you use);

c. Burglary cases where an officer visited the scene of the incident;

d. Burglary cases where the investigation was closed with no suspect identified; for domestic burglaries by your police force in each of the last four calendar years (2022, 2021, 2020, 2019).

Decision

I have today decided to disclose the located information to you in full.

Please find below information pursuant to your request above.

Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has published his 'Turnaround Plan' which sets out how the Met will achieve its mission for More Trust, Less Crime and High Standards over the next two years.

The plan builds on the Commissioner’s priorities from his first four months and the feedback he has received and sets out clearly ‘what’ and ‘how’ the Met will do this.

The priorities include:
Raising standards and showing communities we care and respect them. This includes establishing a new Anti-Corruption and Abuse Command with a wider and more proactive remit with more resource and accountability.

Being relentlessly data driven and evidence-based in delivery, including a greater ability to identify corruption, abuse and misconduct in the Met, building trust in our work.

The strongest ever neighbourhood policing, to deliver London’s largest ever neighbourhood police presence with more local officers and an uplift of 1,600 PCSOs.

Doing more to protect children and target men who perpetuate violence against women and girls. This includes making better use of data and technology to target perpetrators and protect victims and continuing to transform and strengthen our response to the victims of rape and serious sexual violence.

Also providing a better service to victims, including attending every home burglary reported and trial victim ‘contact contracting’ to ensure victims are kept informed in a way that works for them.

Note:
The renewed focus on police responses to all burglaries is part of a number of step change reforms by the new Met Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, to rebuild confidence and trust in the police by getting the basics of policing right.

This work also includes supporting those who are vulnerable, and repeat victims of burglary, as well as providing crime prevention advice.

The prevention activity includes: high visibility foot and mobile patrols at times when burglaries are most common and working with repeat victims of burglary to reduce their chances of being burgled again. Officers are also reviewing crime reports to see if we can identify suspects or patterns.

There has been a significant rise in officers responding to ‘home’ burglary offences. Between October and November, officers attended 81.1 per cent of residential burglaries reported via 999 or 101, opposed to 31 per cent for the same period in 2021. Under the Commissioner’s vision, setting this as a priority, these responses are due to continue to increase.

There have already been notable results from teams across London; in three weeks between 17 October and 7 November, 177 offenders were caught for 297 burglary offences as part of a wider operation linked with serious and organised crime.

And the number of reported burglaries attended by the Met has also doubled since Sir Mark Rowley started his role as Met Police Commissioner, with officers now aiming to attend every burglary reported to police in person.