2023-12-09 13:03:00
This is an observation from federal police statistics: burglaries have been decreasing since 2019. For the period 2022-2023, the decline is 50% on average.
This observation was noted in quite a few police zones, notably in the province of Namur: “It’s quite significant“, confirms Jean-Michel Tubetti, head of the Arches police zone. “For example, on Andenne, if I had 143 theft attempts, we are down to around forty. In Fernelmont, it’s the same thing, we have divided the number of thefts from homes by three. We really see a big difference compared to the different municipalities in the area. This trend is observed across the entire police zone“, rejoices the police officer.
“This is very encouraging and a source of motivation also for our colleagues who patrol day and night“, he comments.
How to explain this evolution ? “In our opinion, this is linked to the Covid crisis which has caused many people to work from home. Teleworking has become a habit for many people. During the day, flights decreased sharply“, explains Jean-Michel Tubetti “We are also better and better equipped in terms of surveillance cameras in homes”, he adds.
In addition, the proliferation of local prevention partnerships (PLP) in municipalities has discouraged criminals: “We really see the citizens who take charge of surveillance, paying attention to suspicious actions in their neighborhood“, specifies the head of the unit. In the event of suspicious behavior, they notify the police. It is an effective relay to reinforce the feeling of security in the neighborhoods.
We are still confronted with waves
Although the statistics are rather reassuring, they do not necessarily reflect everyone’s experience. “We are still faced with waves and epidemics of theft. We can have, at one time, 5 or 6 thefts in one evening, in a single street. There it is difficult to fight“, nuance Jean-Michel Tubetti.
In the SECOVA zone, near Liège, the decrease is less marked, with -25%. There is a margin of uncertainty: “We assume that people who may not be insured once morest theft would not find it in their interest to come and file a complaint with the police. So, there is probably a figure black, but which is difficult to assess”, estimates Vincent Braye, corps commander.
Burglaries remain, for perpetrators, a dangerous activity. Statistics show a shift towards less risky crime, such as telephone or Internet scams.
Police burglaries
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