IT IS a shocking statistic that almost 89 per cent of house burglaries reported to the police in the Bradford district over a two-year period remain unsolved.

Is it any wonder, in the face of such statistics, that victims often repeat the common refrain that there is “little point” in reporting break-ins to the police because the perpetrators are “never” caught. “Never” is clearly an exaggeration - but this evidence suggests not much of one.

There is, of course, every point in calling the police when a crime has been committed, because without information from the public their job is made all the more difficult.

What also makes the police’s task more of an uphill struggle is reductions in police numbers, particularly the traditional bobby on the beat who was a familiar face in every neighbourhood and acted as a deterrent to ne’er-do-wells lurking on the streets.

While many losses through burglary are usually covered by insurance, it is never a victimless crime. There are fewer more horrible experiences than having your home invaded by strangers and your possessions rifled through, damaged or stolen.

As it is also such a common crime - there were more than 14,000 burglaries in the two-year period under review in these figures - it also feeds the public’s fear of crime - even though the figures do show that the number of reported burglaries in the district is falling.

While the police must do as much as they can to improve the burglary detection rate we, as householders, must do our bit as well - by making sure our homes are secure and keeping an eye out for any suspicious activity.