Burglary Information for Witham

In 2023/2024 there were 264,963 home burglaries reported in England and Wales (according to the ONS). That’s an average of 726 burglaries a day – a house being burgled every 119 seconds! So, being local to the area (and having a vested interest in home security) I thought I’d look at the latest burglary information for Witham.

There were 82 reported burglaries in the Witham area in the last 12 months (from October 2023 to September 2024) according to data from CrimeRate and from Essex Police.

As of September 2024, the overall burglary rate in Witham is 14% lower compared to the whole of Essex.

Comparison site MoneySuperMarket analysed millions of home insurance quotes to identify the number of burglary related incidents per 1,000 claims. In the CM8 post code, 7.7 claims per 1000 related to a burglary. As a point of comparison, the worst area in Essex was CO1 (centre of Colchester) at a rate of 23.4.

What's classed as a burglary?

The definition of residential burglary is any act of entering an inhabited building without permission. This includes unlawful entry, forcible entry, and attempted forcible entry.

According to the ONS (Office of for National Statistics), for the year from April 2022 to March 2023 we can see the following interesting facts about burglaries in the UK:

76% of burglars gained access through a door
63% of burglars entered at the front of the property
15% of burglars gained entry through an unlocked door or window
33% of burglars forced a lock to enter the property

Properly fitted good quality door locks are your main defence against intruders.

Once you have the right locks in place, then further consideration should be given to alarms, cameras and lights.

Is It Getting Worse?

The good news is that UK burglary statistics are on a long-term declining trend over the last 20 years. There can be a number of reasons for this, although one of the main factors is the advancement of home security products that are now available.

Nevertheless, it is a shame that there is no specific Neighbourhood Watch scheme currently running in Witham.

Useful information specifically for Witham residents

If you want to discuss crime/burglaries with your local policing team in Witham, there are regular ‘Beat Surgeries’ held at the Witham Town Hall (Heritage Suite). Meetings are held on a weekly basis on a Tuesday.
Please be aware that Braintree District Council does run a ‘Safer Streets Programe’ aimed at reducing crime and supporting victims. Further information is available on the Braintree.gov website.
You can check out the crime rates in your specific area in Witham through various websites, including for example on the Police.uk website.

I hope this article on Burglary Information for Witham has been useful to you. If you have any questions or would like to discuss security advice, lock upgrades or any of my services, please get in contact.

Got a question about a lock issue you may have? Why not have a look at the FAQ page or one of the helpful advice videos on the Media page.