Burglary fell across Gwent in 2021

The latest figures from the Office of National Statistics show that burglary fell across Gwent in 2021.

Non-residential burglary fell by 21 per cent, while burglary from residential properties fell by 11 per cent.

The figures show that Gwent continues to have one of the lowest levels of recorded crime in the UK.

Police and Crime Commissioner Jeff Cuthbert said: “Keeping communities safe is a key priority for me and the significant fall in burglary, while due in part to the pandemic, is the result of proactive policing that is safeguarding properties and tackling the criminal supply chain.

“Gwent Police’s We Don’t By Crime scheme is helping to protect our residents in their homes, their businesses and in their communities.

“We can only protect communities on this scale with support from our partners and we are currently encouraging local community councils to come on board and use some of their allocated funding to provide crime prevention packs to residents in their area.

“There has already been a lot of interest and I would encourage community councils to come forward and find out more.”

The We Don’t Buy Crime Safer Neighbourhoods scheme allows community councils to purchase crime prevention packs for their local residents. The packs contain SmartWater, which allows residents to forensically mark their property, and warning signs to deter thieves.

Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman said: “We're working hard to build trust across our communities and explain the importance of home security and other measure to deter crime.

“The pandemic changed a lot of things - from the way that we work, to the way that we live. One outcome has been a drop in opportunistic crimes such as burglaries.

“While this drop is a positive, we must not be complacent.

“Our We Don’t Buy Crime team is focused on tackling acquisitive crime using forensic property marking technology, local signage and other policing tactics.

“Only by working together can we continue to detect and deter crime across Gwent.”

For more information visit the Gwent Police website.