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That was down 23 per cent from 2011, which saw 1180 reported burglaries.
Rotorua police Inspector Ed Van Den Broek said all suburbs had seen a reduction in burglaries in 2012, with Eastern suburbs seeing the biggest decrease.
One Eastern suburb Owhata had 81 burglaries in 2012 compared to 154 in 2011.
"We place a significant amount of effort in reducing burglaries as we know the impact it has on people's lives to have their home or workplace broken into," he said.
Even the most burgled suburb Western Heights had a decrease in burglaries for 2012, down by 13 from 2011.
Mr Van Den Broek said Rotorua police had seen an increase in the number of calls made by the public reporting suspicious activity.
He said the rule of thumb was to call 111 if you saw something suspicious, and if you weren't completely sure it was suspicious you should call it in anyway because it most likely was.
Neighbourhood Support Rotorua co-ordinator Bruce Quedley said he put the lower number of burglaries down to strong communities and the police.
"I would basically put it down to the pro-active action of the police and the work they are doing.
"Also the growing number of neighbourhood support groups around the district, who are ensuring each area is helping one another."
He said in the Rotorua district they had about 8200 households signed up with a neighbourhood support group, which was about one third of all households in Rotorua.
Mr Quedley said, according to statistics, households who were a part of a neighbourhood support group had between 10 to 12 per cent less chance of getting burgled.
He said the best safety tips at this time of year was to think before you leave the house and lock everything up, and while you are away remember your vehicle can become a target so do not leave valuables in there unattended.
Western Heights resident Bill Skelton said he was not surprised Western Heights was the most burgled suburb in Rotorua for 2012.
"It doesn't really surprise me but it is pretty good just around here," he said.
Mr Skelton said they built their place in the 1960s and had only been broken into twice since then.
He said the neighbourhood near the high school was quite good but it might be different for other areas in Western Heights.
Mr Skelton said they had chosen not to put a fence up on the front of their property and had simply used some basic tactics to keep safe from burglaries.
"You don't leave anything out where it can be seen," he said.
Mr Skelton said they were also on good terms with the neighbours and had an alarm, which was a strong deterrent.
