Reports of burglary drop by a third across Greater Manchester
Police tell us they're now sending CSI teams to every reported burglary, to increase the chances of catching criminals.
Last updated 18th Feb 2025
The number of burglaries reported to Greater Manchester Police has dropped by a third since 2020.
GMP received 16,758 reports of residential burglary in the year from December 2020 to December 2021. Compared with 11,256 reports in the year ending December 2024. It's a reduction of 33%, with 5,502 fewer burglaries in total.
The number of burglary cases solved by the force in that same time period has gone from 4.2% to 11.5%.
Greater Manchester Police tell us officers now attend 100% of break-ins, including Crime Scene Investigators who collect forensic evidence from those scenes.
One of the biggest challenges that remains, is breaking the pattern of reoffending.
Detective Inspector Nat McDonald heads up the Neighbourhood Crime Team from Longsight Police Station and describes the impact that one prolific offender can have on burglary statistics across Greater Manchester:
"The figures speak volumes in terms of the recent arrests. Offenders are released from prison and not long after, our crime figures rise. We do see that there is a link between recent releases and reoffending.
"We had over 20 recent burglaries within the student areas of Manchester, which is devastating for victims. The arrest of that suspect meant that the burglaries stopped overnight.
"Every day we monitor the overnight figures, we meet with the victims early, look for any forensic and CCTV opportunities and really try to engage with communities. The community often knows who these people are so any intelligence around these offenders is really important."
The Neighbourhood Crime Team is now a protected division within the force, which means it has secure funding for the foreseeable future. DI McDonald told us it's vital: "It means we're given the time to be able to go and sit in our communities and do those investigations. It's given us the chance to get to know the offenders."
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