Rise in burglars using weapons as workers stayed at home last year

MORE burglars were found to be carrying weapons last year as police probed over 7,000 break-ins in Birmingham.

Months of lockdown, cancelled holidays and thousands either furloughed or working from home meant there were fewer overall opportunities for burglars to break into homes, leading to a 16 per cent drop in the city.

However, West Midlands Police still received 7,004 reports of burglaries and attempted burglaries within Birmingham in 2020.

That figure includes 65 aggravated burglaries – a more serious crime where the offender is carrying a weapon – which was up from 40 in 2019.

It means that for every 1,000 successful break-ins, nine were committed by an armed criminal, up from the rate of five for every 1,000 seen the previous year.

Overall, the police force received 15,211 reports of burglaries throughout the region in 2020, which was 19 percent fewer than the 18,733 in 2019.

Alex Mayes from the charity Victim Support, said: “It’s particularly concerning to see a rise in aggravated burglaries, which can put victims at increased risk, especially as so many more of us have been homebound than usual.

“Home is the place where people should feel most safe, and burglary can rob victims not only of their possessions but also their sense of safety and security.”

Across England and Wales, there was a 22 per cent fall in burglaries and attempted burglaries during the pandemic, with the number dropping from 276,276 in 2019 to 216,761 in 2020.