Mr. JamesLamond asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to deal with the rise in the number of acts of burglary over the past eight years.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe are aware that a number of chief officers of police, who are responsible for deciding how their available resources should be deployed. have decided to target "burglaries" in their strategies for 1987. But most burglaries are opportunist; some 25 per cent. do not even involve forced entry. There is therefore, much scope for preventive action to reduce their incidence and, in particular, for extending such crime prevention activity as the community programme crime prevention inititative, which is already responsible for 73 lock fitting schemes, and neighbourhood watch. In addition, the guidance notes issued by the British Standards Institution and the National House Building Council should help to ensure that new homes are built to a standard of security which will be a further deterrent to potential burglars.