BASINGSTOKE has seen more than 16 per cent increase in burglaries over the past 12 months, Hampshire Constabulary admits.

The information comes after a number of burglary reports were published in the Gazette over the last month.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary explained that while there has been a 16.1 per cent increase in residential burglary reports over the past 12 months, "this increase should be seen in the context of historically low levels of reporting in the previous year."

Below you can find an interactive map of all reported burglaries in Basingstoke in the past 12 months.

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So what does this mean?

Burglary reports over the last 12 months are "comparable to -pre-Covid numbers," the spokesperson said.

In terms of results, there has been a 15.6 per cent increase in solved burglaries in the past 12 months, which equates to 58 more reports having outcomes.

Meanwhile, last month residential burglary reports across the whole northern area were the lowest since June 2023, with 47 offences this June compared to 42 offences in June 2023.

In a statement to the Gazette, a spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: "Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary takes every report of burglary extremely seriously. The effects a burglary can have on victims cannot be underestimated; this can have a long-lasting impact, and it is vital the public knows they can report this to us and it will be investigated.

"We have made a commitment to attend every single dwelling burglary report we receive; following up investigative opportunities where available and continuing to reduce the number of burglaries taking place, charge more suspects, and ensure that victims receive a consistently high level of service in our response."

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Hampshire Constabulary told the Gazette they have attended all burglaries where possible, however there are reasons where it was "impractical" to attend they said: "We are pleased that we have maintained our residential dwelling burglary attendance levels since a commitment was made to our communities in September 2022 ahead of a national adoption of the same approach later that month.

"In a small number of cases it may be impractical for us to attend due to the length of time since the offence took place, or for example if the victim has a specific reason as to why they do not wish for us to attend because they would prefer instead to speak to officers at a police station.

"As part of our commitment we have continued to invest in our teams that investigate burglary and have upskilled those officers that initially attend so that we can make the most of the lines of enquiry available at the earliest opportunity."

In terms of statistics, there are factors that have meant the numbers don't necessarily look good on paper. One such reason is the Covid pandemic meant that less burgalries were taking place, and while there is an increase in the town, it is relative to pre-Covid levels:

"In Basingstoke, we have seen a 16.1 per cent increase in residential burglary reports over the past 12 months. This increase should be seen in the context of historically low levels of reporting in the previous year. The burglary reports we have received in the past 12 months are comparable to pre-Covid numbers.

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"It should be noted that these trends are being seen at a force and national level.

"In terms of results, we have seen a 15.6 per cent increase in solved burglaries in the past 12 months – which equates to 58 more reports having outcomes.

"Meanwhile, last month residential burglary reports across the whole northern area were the lowest (47 offences) that we have seen since June 2023 (42 offences).

"We want to stress that we take every burglary report seriously and will do everything in our power to put those responsible before the courts.

"For crime prevention advice, please visit our website hampshire.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/protect-home-crime.”