Lincolnshire Police is failing to catch burglars, new figures obtained by LincsOnline reveal

A police force is failing to catch burglars, new figures obtained by LincsOnline have revealed.

More than 15,400 burglaries have been reported to Lincolnshire Police over the past five years.

But a staggering 96% of these have gone unsolved, with just 666 burglary cases between 2020 and 2024 resulting in a charge, summons or postal requisition.

Even if a named suspect is identified, as they were in 2,986 cases, only 22% of them faced the prospect of court.

In total there were 12,324 cases in the county which were closed without a suspect being identified.

Detective Chief Inspector Jon Shield said: “We would love to be able to solve every single case, but the reality is that burglaries can be very challenging investigations to lead, particularly in identifying culprits and securing enough evidence to charge them.

“To explain a bit more about why, the challenges might come from there not being cameras which capture images of a home or other buildings, and subsequently the offender; traditional CCTV opportunities are reduced in residential areas; and lighting might be poor which means that witness opportunities can be reduced, and criminals are incredibly more aware of forensics, to name a few.

“We also have a very rural county, and Lincolnshire’s road network is an attractive prospect to criminals, and we are constantly adapting our tactics and sharing information with colleagues across the border.”

Lincoln, which has the biggest population in the county, had the highest number of unsolved burglaries at 3,169. This was followed by Grantham, Spalding, Skegness and Gainsborough which were in the four figures.

However the number of burglaries being reported countywide has fallen, from 3,521 in 2020 to 2,505 last year.

Of the burglaries committed, 68% targeted residential properties with the remaining 32% relating to business or community premises. Although, up until 2023 break-ins targeting sheds or outbuildings were not logged by the force which may mean the figures are higher.

According to the force, officers attend every home burglary and for any offences that take place in a shed or outbuilding, or commercial premises, the threat, harm and risk is assessed as part of a decision on whether to deploy resources.

Insp Shield said: “We understand how distressing these offences are – victims of home burglary can feel that their personal space and their privacy have been violated, and other burglaries like outbuildings and commercial premises can also have a huge impact on individuals and the community.

“Where we can, we use a number of investigative tactics which I can’t go into great deal on, forensic opportunities, and drawing on community and police intelligence.”

Retired officer Nick Carter, who lives in Spalding, believes the disproportionate number of burglaries being solved is part of a wider police issue.

He said: “One of the major concerns for residents is burglaries, followed closely by personal safety, but the situation we have in recent years is a disconnect between the police and society.

“They’ve lost the ability to communicate with the people they are serving.

“When I was a police officer the number one priority was the public - that’s the only reason the force exists to serve the public and keep them safe but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

He noted that even though catching burglars has always been tricky due to a lack of evidence, ‘the detection rate back in the day was much higher than that’.

Nick believes the dwindling number of police officers is also having an effect on tackling crimes.

Lincolnshire Police announced at the beginning of the year that it may have to axe 400 people in total - including frontline officers and support staff – without ‘significant and urgent funding’ as it faces up to a £14 million deficit for the next financial year.

The county already suffers from the worst police funding in the country - and losing about one in six officers would further erode a level of service that is already a concern for many.

Have you been affected by a burglary? Let us know how you feel about these figures by emailing news@lincsonline.co.uk