Norfolk’s chief constable has backed a pledge that officers will attend every domestic burglary saying people had the “right to feel safe in their own home”.
New standards approved by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) will see investigators visit the scene of every break-in to help see more crimes being solved and offenders prosecuted.
The NPCC said forces will prioritise attendance where people’s homes have been burgled, rather than outbuildings and garden sheds.
Norfolk already has a policy in place to go to all home burglaries, but other forces attend only where victims are vulnerable or elderly, or there are evidential lines of inquiry to be followed up.
Chief Constable Paul Sanford said victims of residential burglaries were visited except on “rare occasions there can be exceptional circumstances when this doesn’t happen”.
“Everyone has the right to feel safe in their own home, which is why we have always attended reports of household burglaries and will continue to do so,” he said.
“We never underestimate the impact being burgled can have; it’s an intrusive crime, often traumatic and causing long-lasting distress.
“It’s a crime we have always taken extremely seriously and deal with robustly.”
Norfolk has the second lowest burglary rate in the country but just six out of every 100 investigations led to someone being charged.
A suspect was not identified in seven out of 10 cases in the year ending March 2021.
In 2018 the force trialled a computer algorithm to help assess whether burglary investigations should be followed up.
It led to claims the system, based on 29 factors, was being used to 'quietly close' hundreds of investigations into break-ins. The technology was subsequently ditched.
Mr Sanford said: “There’s never room for complacency which is why it’s important we continue to respond and investigate these crimes effectively, while also highlighting ways in which we can help prevent offences which can often be opportunistic.”
The introduction of national standards follows political pressure that police were prioritising online crimes instead of offences like burglary.
Home secretary Suella Braverman said “getting back to common sense policing will increase the public’s confidence in their local force” and send a clear message to criminals “that this is a high-risk crime which they won’t be getting away with”.
The NPCC said an evidence review from the College of Policing, which is responsible for setting the standards for policing, had shown swift attendance of officers at scenes of crime can increase victim satisfaction and aid investigations, as well as helping with the prevention of future crimes in the area.
College of Policing chief Andy Marsh said suffering a burglary can “steal a person’s sense of security from the place where they should feel safest”.
He added: “Officers across the country want to be locking up criminals and keeping communities safe. Our standards will help bring consistency to the police’s response, enable them to get the basics right and deliver what the public expect.”
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