Gainsborough is among the ‘most dangerous’ towns in Lincolnshire for residential and commercial break-ins, according to a new report, but Lincolnshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner believes the county has a “low level of this type of crime compared to most of the UK” and that the data lacks “important context”.
Research by South Lincolnshire-based security experts Locks Direct highlighted that, according to the latest data available, Gainsborough has a crime rate of nine burglaries per 1,000 residents and is the highest in the county, while Grantham and Skegness are next on the list with seven. This also isn’t far off the highest in the country which is Middlesbrough with 10 burglaries per 1,000 residents.
The data for the research was collated using CrimeRate.co.uk. CrimeRate.co.uk is a data analysis and GIS project dedicated to uncovering crime trends in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It says it aggregates “open police force data, social media signals and file FOI requests with local police departments to build the most complete catalogue of crime and safety information in the region.”
Lincolnshire Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones said: “Any incident of burglary – whether business, shed or home – is concerning and locating, arresting and jailing the criminals responsible has always been a top priority here in Lincolnshire.
“I have provided the force with additional funding which has been used to raise officer numbers above those seen in more than 15 years including bolstering forensic, dog, roads, neighbourhood and rural teams. I have also been successful in gaining agreement from the Policing Minister to look again at the way burglary figures are collated and used nationally to ensure that the numbers used are more accurate and transparent.
“In addition to this, I have successfully bid for millions of pounds of funding from Government which has seen cutting edge CCTV systems placed in key areas across our towns including Gainsborough, Spalding, Boston and Skegness and in the City of Lincoln which has led to significant arrests and undoubtably reduced the number of victims of crime in our communities.
“It is important to note that Lincolnshire still has a low level of this type of crime compared to most of the UK and these kinds of surveys lack important context which renders them of very limited value.
“Residential burglaries are more than 26% down on pre-covid levels and the force continues to work with both the commercial sector and local communities to drive these crime numbers down even more.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jo Fortune said: “Investigating burglaries is a key priority for Lincolnshire Police and we will dedicate resources to give the best service to the public, and where possible bring offenders to public.
“Our investigative teams, analysts and local Neighbourhood Policing Teams work year-round to identify patterns or emerging issues; for us, it’s important to understand the problem and come up with solutions to proactively tackle burglary.
“We provide crime prevention advice for commercial businesses and residents, as well as community messaging around where there may have been a burglary, appeals for witnesses, and results when we apprehend an offender. We also visit and help protect vulnerable people.
“It is our commitment to attend every report of burglary that takes place in someone’s home across the county. Each local area will get the same service. This commitment is because we understand how distressing these offences are – victims of burglary can feel that their home and their privacy have been violated. It is quite right that the public expect to us to investigate thoroughly.
“For any offences that take place in a shed or outbuilding, we will assess the threat, harm and risk and make an assessment on whether we attend.
“We would encourage anyone who would like to understand what’s happening in their area to check official data which can be found on our website under ‘Your Area’ or directly from www.police.uk, as they reflect accurate information.”
Tom Richardson, Director at Locks Direct, said: “It is always a concern to see burglaries happening anywhere, but Gainsborough seems to have a particular problem.
“When comparing the town’s crime rate of around 9 burglaries per 1,000 residents to the highest in the country, which is Middlesborough with 10, it feels particularly pronounced.
“The problem isn’t isolated to this area of the county either. Grantham towards the south of the county and Skegness on the coast also have similar rates.
“Gainsborough’s position, while unfortunate, could be a variety of factors, but more needs to be done by individuals and businesses to prevent burglaries from happening in the first place. A lot of what we see as security experts can be headed off if preventative measures can be taken.
“To better protect your home or business, physical locks are paramount and ensuring that you have the right quality of security in place is really important.”
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