Spike in West Midlands burglaries over Christmas with most unsolved

West Midlands Police ranks bottom of the league table at 90.1 per cent - one of the worst police forces with unsolved burglary rates over the Christmas period.

Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police stand at 89.7 per cent and Surrey Police 88.8 per cent of burglaries cases unsolved, respectively.

In the last five years, West Midlands Police recorded an average of 4,473 domestic burglaries per week, with 5,073 a week between October and December.

A total of 84 per cent of cases recorded in the last three months of the year are closed with no suspect identified, compared to 81 per cent of those recorded in the rest of the year. That meant 44,220 burglaries were unsolved in October to December across England and Wales.

The period between Christmas and New Year can prove particularly fruitful for burglars, with homes full of new presents left empty as occupants visit family elsewhere.

Councillor Jon Hunt, who represents Perry Barr for the Lib Dems and was a candidate for West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner role, said: "Liberal Democrats campaigned this year for a return to community policing in our region – and in previous decades pioneered it in Birmingham.

"The Government needs to give the police the resources and the guidance and the flexibility to get effective police teams back into our neighbourhoods."

Councillor Bob Piper, who represents Abbey on Sandwell Council and is the cabinet member for community safety, said: "A burglary at any time of year is very traumatic – and even more so at Christmas.

"We work closely with the police and other partner organisations through the Safer Sandwell Partnership throughout the year to prevent and tackle a wide range of criminal activities, including burglaries.

"In advance of the winter period and darker nights, Sandwell’s Safer Six campaign promoted safety, crime prevention and healthy living advice, including working with volunteers from Sandwell Crime Prevention Panel to share security advice.

"I would also urge people to follow the burglary prevention advice on West Midlands Police’s website."

Simon Foster, Labour’s West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner said: “To be burgled at any time of the year is always deeply distressing and I fully understand the concern people have.

“Sadly, despite West Midlands Police working incredibly hard to prevent and tackle burglaries, the force has faced huge government cuts over the last decade, reducing the number of officers in our region by a quarter.

“That is why I have urged MPs in our area to join me in my campaign for fairer funding, so I can return officer numbers to the levels last seen in 2010 and bring burglary levels down.”