Reading Partnership Contributes to 46% Drop in Burglaries

A survey carried out in the area in November 2011 picked out burglary as the top concern of local residents. A North Whitley NAG – made up mainly from Thames Valley Police and Reading Borough Council officers – was created as a result.

Over the last year the group set its sights on driving down burglary rates through a range of local initiatives aimed at helping residents protect their property and disrupting the activity of known burglars.

Work included:

• Identifying nine ‘hotspot’ areas for burglary offences and that peak times were during school summer holiday and winter months.
• Giving householders in the ‘hotspot’ locations and burglary victims security advice
• Putting on a series of advice events at supermarkets, community centres and local meetings where light timers and property identification kits, funded by the Safer Reading Partnership, were given out.

As a result of the initiative, there were 60 fewer house burglaries in 2012 compared to 2011 – a 46% reduction in offences. There was also a reduction in burglaries in all of the nine previous hotspot areas. Three of these areas had no burglaries at all last year.

The North Whitley Neighbourhood Action Group has since early 2013 been working on their next priority – speeding. Meetings are now held at least three times a year. Residents can keep up to date with information by registering on the NAG distribution list on the North Whitley page of http://www.uknags.org.uk