HC Deb 20 March 1986 vol 94 cc269-70W
18. Mr. Chris Smith

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of burglary were recorded in the most recent quarter for which figures are available and in the equivalent quarter of 1979.

Mr. Mellor

The police recorded 228,000 burglaries in the fourth quarter of 1985 compared with 165,000 in the fourth quarter of 1980. Because of changes in the counting rules from the beginning of 1980, comparisons with 1979 would be misleading. The number of recorded burglaries last year was 3 per cent. less than in 1984.