Epidemic of child burglars

• The most recently available data reveals in three and half years more than 17,000 children have been arrested for burglary
• 16 per cent of those arrested for burglary are children (minors aged under 18)
• In the first half of 2017 under 18’s were suspected as the perpetrator in 15 per cent of burglaries and one in eight arrests (13 per cent) for aggregated burglary
• In the cases where HM Courts & Tribunals Service has proceeded against a minor for committing burglary the defendant has been found guilty in 68 per cent of cases
   

New analysis¹ from Churchill Home Insurance reveals one in six (16 per cent) of those arrested on suspicion of committing burglary are aged under 18. In the last three and a half years (2014 through the first half of 2017) police forces in England and Wales arrested 17,082 children on suspicion of committing burglary, with more than 2,000 arrested in the first six months of 2017.

In the last three and a half years, youths under the age of 18 accounted for 12 per cent of all arrests for aggregated burglary in England and Wales. An individual will be charged with aggravated burglary if they have an offensive weapon on them, such as a firearm or knife, when entering a building with the intent of stealing.  In three and a half years police forces across England and Wales have arrested at least 976 children for this crime. 

In the first half of 2017 (the latest available timeframe) youths accounted for 15 per cent of burglary arrests and one in eight arrests (13 per cent) for aggregated burglary was of a child. The analysis does reveal some positive trends, the number of domestic burglaries involving minors has fallen over the last three years.  However, the percentage of minors committing aggravated burglaries increased in the first half of 2017 compared to the previous year. 
 

Table One:  Analysis of burglaries involving minors

Source: Churchill Home Insurance 2017
 

Martin Scott, head of Churchill home insurance said: “As a society we urgently need to address the level of crime committed by those under the age of 18. Young people may not understand the trauma they are inflicting on people when they burglarise their property, there is not just a financial cost, it has a terrible and sustained emotional impact. It is vital that if minors do commit crime there are appropriate interventions in place to help ensure that these patterns of behaviour are not repeated.” 

In the period 2014 to the end of 2016 year² HM Courts & Tribunals Service prosecuted 4,250 children for domestic and aggregated burglary, with a conviction rate of 68 per cent. The conviction rate for minors is lower than the average for all age groups, where defendants are found guilty in 76 per cent of prosecutions. The conviction rate across the period for aggravated burglary by a minor was lower, with just under a third of cases (32 per cent) resulting in the defendant being found guilty.    
 

Regional findings:

Analysing the data on a regional basis (H1 2017) across England and Wales reveals the largest proportion of minors arrested for committing burglary was in the East Midlands, where more than a quarter (26.7 per cent) of all those arrested on suspicion of committing this crime were aged under 18. More than a fifth of all arrests for burglary in the first half of 2017 in the Yorkshire & Humberside and South-East regions were of children. 
 

Table Two: Regions by percentage of minors arrested for burglary

Source: Churchill Home Insurance 2017
 

Churchill Home Insurance offers a 24/7 burglary response to its customers which means, day or night, Churchill’s burglary response team is available to make the property secure after it has been broken into³. Following a break in, Churchill will send an engineer to replace all damaged locks with a British standard lock and temporarily secure damaged windows and doors.

ENDS
 

Notes to Editor
 

• ¹Freedom of Information Act request made to regional police forces across the UK on 8th August 2016. 41 of the 45 police forces provided responses, of which 38 (84 per cent) gave usable data for this analysis.
• ²Freedom of Information Act request made to HMCTS on 8th August 2016.
• ³Churchill’s 24/7 burglary response ensures that day or night an engineer will be available to temporarily secure damaged windows and doors. Excludes Highlands and Islands. Policy and Cover limits apply. Underwritten by UK Insurance Ltd.
   

For further information please contact:

Claire Foster 

Churchill PR Manager

Tel: 01651 831 672

Email: claire.foster@directlinegroup.co.uk
 

Antonia Green

Citigate Dewe Rogerson

Antonia.green@citigatedewerogerson.com

0207 282 2967
 

Churchill

Founded in 1989, Churchill is now one of the UK's leading providers of general insurance, offering car, home, travel and pet insurance cover over the phone or on-line.

Churchill general insurance policies are underwritten by U K Insurance Limited, Registered office: The Wharf, Neville Street, Leeds LS1 4AZ. Registered in England and Wales No 1179980. U K Insurance Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.  

Churchill and U K Insurance Limited are both part of Direct Line Insurance Group plc.  
 

Customers can find out more about Churchill products or get a quote by calling 0300 200300 or visiting www.churchill.com/home-insurance