Burglary rates have fallen across Derbyshire since I brought the issue into sharp focus as part of my commitment to tackling the problems that matter to residents.
New data shows 5,086 domestic burglary offences were recorded between 13 May 2021 and 31 March 2023 – reflecting a period of 688 days since my election by the public. This compares to 6,180 offences during the previous equivalent period (25 June 2019 to 12 May 2021). The progress is mirrored in burglary rates impacting business premises which have fallen by 11 per cent during the same period.
Since becoming Commissioner, I have consistently pushed for improvements in the response to burglary and other neighbourhood crimes that cause residents concern and impact their feelings of safety. This has brought investment in new resources and technology to help improve detection and prevent reoffending. Additionally, we are 18 months into a pilot that has employed the use of electronic tagging to deter crime and tackle reoffending.
Recent changes in legislation to allow offenders to be tagged for sentences of 3 months and over rather than 12 have increased the number of people eligible for the scheme. There are currently 22 people tagged in the county for burglary, robbery and theft offences, all of whom have already been convicted and have served their sentences.
The scheme is showing promising results in combating reoffending with few cases of offenders committing crimes while tagged. I will continue to monitor the results of this project closely.
