Just one in four burglaries solved by county's police

Hampshire Constabulary solves only three out of four burglaries - but still has one of the best detection rates in the country

Hampshire police solved 24 per cent – around one in four – of burglaries of people’s homes in 2013-14.

That places the force as fifth-best out of all 43 police forces.

But for burglaries of non-dwellings – such as businesses, sheds and garages – the rate was just over seven per cent in the same year.

That rate puts it in 13th-worst in the national ranking, according to the figures released by the Office for National Statistics.

Overall the force had a burglary solving rate of 12.99 per cent – better than the 12.22 per cent national average.

Nina Anderson, 79, was burgled in December 2014 when precious family heirlooms were stolen from her home in Hollam Road, Milton, Portsmouth.

Dubbed ‘Miss Marple’ she tracked down the burglar by visiting pawn shops in Portsmouth to find the stolen goods.

The hapless burglar – who was jailed – had given his own name and details when pawning the necklaces and chains, leading Mrs Anderson to the culprit.

She said: ‘I don’t like to say anything against the police, but you seem to have to do everything yourself.

‘They said “she was brave to do it herself” and “there should be more people like it” – that’s doing their job.

‘It looks like anyone who has been burgled has got to look after themselves.

‘I don’t know why you should call the police if they can’t do anything about it.’

Hampshire had 10,940 burglaries, including 3,659 in homes and 7,281 non-domestic burglaries, for the year ending March 2015.

It comes as the number of police officers dropped from 3,155 in September 2014 to 2,968 in September 2015.

Sussex police had the second-worst burglary-solving rate at just 8.5 per cent.

Martin Scott is head of Churchill Home Insurance, which commented on the figures.

He said: ‘Victims of burglary don’t just suffer from financial loss but also emotional trauma, with many subsequently feeling insecure in their own home.

‘While some items like electrical goods are easily replaced, others with sentimental value are often lost forever once stolen.

‘Whilst there are clearly big differences between burglary rates by area, the precautions householders should take remain the same.’

No-one from Hampshire police was available to comment yesterday.