City amongst the lowest burglary stats in UK:

ANORTH Wales city has one of the lowest burglary rates anywhere in the UK, according to new research

Analysis by the price comparison site MoneySuperMarket found that Bangor, along with post codes in Dumfries and Lochee in Scotland, are among the areas with the lowest proportion of burglary claims across the country.

Meanwhile the UK’s worst burglary hotspots include Dagenham, the RM8 postcode in east London and Grants Hill, also in London.

Kevin Pratt, from MoneySuperMarket, said: “Burglars often target urban areas where there’s more hustle and bustle and so less risk of being caught.

“But not surprisingly they also follow the money, which is why affluent areas such as Teddington in London and Temple Newsam [on the outskirts of Leeds] in West Yorkshire appear in the top 20 claims hotspots.”

Councillor Gwynfor Edwards, who represents the Deiniol ward for both city and county, welcomed the news.

“It’s always good to hear positive things about Bangor and the low burglary rate is really good news for the city” he said.

“Two years ago we had the dispersal order in the city centre and, although it was criticised at the time, I believe it has had the right sort of impact.”

Bryan Collis, chair of The People of Bangor Community Group, added: “It’s great that Bangor is in the news for a good reason, but I wonder whether the high student population in Bangor may mean that people are not insured, so they don’t make claims when they are burgled.

“I haven’t seen these statistics in detail, but official crime stats show that North West Wales has a lower burglary rate than other areas of the UK – simply because we don’t have as much stuff in our houses worth stealing.”

During a meeting of Bangor City Council last year, Inspector Neil Thomas from North Wales Police told councillors that crime in the city had seen a 30% reduction over the period 2011-13.

“There was a 40% reduction in burglary, 60% in theft, 20% in robberies, and 30% in shop thefts,” he said.

“Bangor has performed very well over the past two years.”