Police burglary pledge brings pressure to increase resolution rate

Burglary is a tough crime to solve, say police.

Ask around any workplace and you won't have to go far to find people who have been burgled.

In the Northern Advocate newsroom, there are three people who have had their homes broken into in the past few years, who sit within a 10-metre radius of each other.

Those three homes account for at least eight burglary victims, the measuring stick by which the impact of burglaries is now judged.

And the latest figures tell us that there are 10 burglary victims a day in Northland, and that in the first half of 2016 there were 1876 burglary victims.

It's a hard crime to solve, and crims know this, so they keep at it.

It's also a crime that keeps on giving, or taking, as it were.

Days after a burglary, just when the sense of violation is starting to subside, victims will discover something else is missing, or uncover fresh evidence of the violation of their home.

Police say burglary is a hard crime to solve, and Northland's geographical spread means isolated homes are tough to get to quickly.

Only 6.9 per cent of Northland's break-ins are "resolved", or solved.
It is the lowest rate in the country and below the national average of 8.9 per cent.

The encouraging news is that police changed the way they respond to burglaries in August, and pledged to attend all burglaries.

They've come pretty close - 95 per cent of the 317 burglaries since the promise was made.

With the pledge though comes added pressure.

Having pledged to attend more burglaries, the public will now expect more to be solved.

Here's hoping the second half of 2016 reflects that.