House burglaries have soared by nearly 20 per cent in the first half of this financial year in the Shropshire Division, new figures have revealed today.

Domestic burglaries were also up by nearly three per cent in the Telford & Wrekin Division although all other crimes have fallen.

The data released by West Mercia Police for April and September 2008 showed the total number of crimes recorded was up by 1.5 per cent compared to the same period the previous year while other incidents such as violent crime were down.

The figures come as a new Home Office initiative was launched, which gives people in Shropshire access to crime trends in the towns and villages in which they live at the push of a button.

The public can now access crime maps on the websites of all 43 police forces to see the volume of crime and make comparisons with other parts of the country.

West Mercia Police’s latest performance report showed that domestic burglary in the Shropshire Division was up 16.9 per cent between April and September 2008 compared to the same period last year with 394 burglaries in six months

In Telford & Wrekin this figure was 369 burglaries – up 2.5 per cent on the previous year. 

But vehicle crime, violent crime and robbery were all down in both areas.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil Jamieson, from West Mercia Police, said that for most of 2008 burglary figures were on a par with the previous year but blamed the rise on three “spikes” of activity. He said these had been dealt with “robustly” by officers.

Meanwhile, the Government says the new crime maps will allow the public to see how local crime fighting partnerships are impacting on issues of local concern.