'Shockingly low' number of burglaries result in charges, data claims

According to Legal Expert via Freedom of Information Requests, Lincolnshire Police has recorded more than 1,600 home burglaries in the last year alone, but just three per cent of those resulted in a person being charged, a new investigation has revealed.

The data also found that of the 1,677 residential break-ins recorded last year, 138 were classed as ‘aggravated’ - meaning a weapon was involved.

A total of 49 charges were brought against burglars in 2024, that’s three per cent of the offences recorded by Lincolnshire Police.

In the top 10 Lincolnshire burglary hotspots, Boston is the second behind Lincoln with 173 burglaries. Skegness is sixth with 116 burglaries, followed by Louth with 77, Market Rasen with 61 and Sleaford with 54.

While there will be cases that may still be under investigation, Legal Expert’s CICA (Criminal Injury Compensation Authority) specialist, Ellie Lamey says the number of charges is “shockingly low.”

“Being the victim of a burglary can be extremely invasive and traumatic not to mention those instances of aggravated burglary where weapons are involved,” she said.

“Moreover the shockingly low charge rate gives victims the impression that there is no support or justice following what can be in some cases, a life-altering event.”

Det Chief Insp Jon Shield, of Lincolnshire Police, told Lincolnshire World the Force understood how distressing these offences are. “Victims of home burglary can feel that their personal space and their privacy have been violated, and other burglaries like outbuildings and commercial premises can also have a huge impact on individuals and the community,” he said.

“Where we can, we use a number of investigative tactics which I can’t go into great deal on, forensic opportunities, and drawing on community and police intelligence.

"We also know that community messaging around effective crime prevention plays a big part in reducing the number of people who become a victim of crime – for example by making sure windows and doors are locked, consider installing good lighting, installing CCTV of some description, keeping valuables out of sight.

“We would love to be able to solve every single case, but the reality is that burglaries can be very challenging investigations to lead, particularly in identifying culprits and securing enough evidence to charge them.”

To explain a bit more about why charges are not brought about in some cases, the Force said the challenges might come from there not being cameras which capture images of a home or other buildings, and subsequently the offender; traditional CCTV opportunities are reduced in residential areas; and lighting might be poor which means that witness opportunities can be reduced, to name a few.

"We also have a very rural county, and Lincolnshire’s road network is an attractive prospect to criminals, and we are constantly adapting our tactics and sharing information with colleagues across the border,” Det Chief Insp Shield said.

*We attend every home burglary. For any offences that take place in a shed or outbuilding, or commercial premises, we will assess the threat, harm and risk and make an assessment on whether we attend.”