Overview
- An FOI to West Yorkshire Police recorded 603 home burglaries on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve from 2020 to 2024, with UK-wide research citing 6,134 incidents on those dates.
- Lancashire ranks fourth nationally for festive burglaries and parcel thefts, with 352 break-ins between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve since 2020 and a 134% rise in parcel thefts from 2020 to 2024, peaking each December.
- Cumbria Police continue burglary-focused Operation Themis, report an 11% drop in house burglaries overall, and urge residents to register cameras with Connect Cumbria so officers can request relevant footage after crimes.
- Suffolk Police report increased patrols in recent days, with two men banned from the county in connection with burglary investigations and officers urging use of timer lights, CCTV and careful social media settings.
- Merseyside Police warn that organised crime groups are targeting keyless-entry vehicles, step up high-visibility patrols under Winter of Action, and advise Faraday pouches, physical locks and checks that cars are fully locked.