'Super burglar' arrests see break-ins fall 13%

Published on Tuesday 3 March 2009 09:06

THE number of housebreakings reported in Edinburgh has fallen by 13 per cent as police target prolific "super-burglars" responsible for dozens of break-ins.

Detectives compiled a hit list of the worst offenders to be targeted, with a detailed intelligence picture built up for each suspect.

Officers are also working in co-operation with prosecutors in a bid to secure longer prison sentences for members of the hardcore group. Among the force's recent successes was the arrest in December of a 41-year-old man who has been charged with 58 alleged housebreakings in the Prestonfield and Grange areas.

Police research has shown that 50 per cent of housebreakings in the Capital are carried out by a "small core" of repeat offenders.

In addition, victims of break-ins are being given advice on how to boost their home security to prevent them being targeted again.

New figures show 1211 home break-ins were recorded between April last year and January compared with 1381 for the same ten-month period a year before.

Superintendent Martin Gordon, from St Leonards Police Station, said: "We've been gathering intelligence on the most prolific and problematic offenders for housebreakings from the last four years.

"We built up intelligence on their activities, from where they operate, their known associates, method of travel to jobs, whether they worked during the day or night, and many other details. That has allowed us to link them to break-ins as they happen.

"Where they are stealing to fund a drug or alcohol addiction, we're working with partner agencies like health services to try and get them help to break their pattern of offending. The aim is to avoid a revolving door situation where we catch a housebreaker, put them away, then they are released and start offending again."

The average annual value of goods stolen during the last three years is 2.5 million, while the average cost of goods stolen from individual victims is 1598.

Recent studies of city housebreakers revealed that 80 per cent were addicted to drugs or alcohol. Statistics also showed that a break-in victim was four times more likely to be targeted again during the next year.

The number of housebreakings solved in the Capital decreased during the ten-month period, falling from 43 to 36 per cent.

It is understood this may be due to criminals becoming increasingly unwilling to admit other offences after being arrested.

Councillor Paul Edie, Edinburgh's community safety leader, said:

"I know the police have been specifically targeting housebreakings and these are a terrific set of results. It's intelligence-led policing and it seems to be effective."

Last week, figures showed that 90 out of every 10,000 people in the Capital reported being a victim of a housebreaking in 2007-8, compared with 70 for Glasgow, although many such crimes may go unreported.