One in every 94 homes was broken into in one English district last year, recent official data shows. 

West Yorkshire was named the home burglary hotspot of England and Wales, with almost one in every 94 households targeted by crooks in 2025. 

Figures from the Office for National Statistics spanning 2025 showed West Yorkshire recorded 10.6 residential burglaries per 1,000 households, the highest rate of any police force area in England and Wales. 

Cleveland was close behind with 10.4 per 1,000 households burgled, followed by South Yorkshire at 10.1. 

Metropolitan Police covering Greater London were alerted to 32,610 residential burglaries in 2025, equating to 9.5 incidents per 1,000 households and one in every 105 homes in the vicinity. 

Residential burglary levels were also high across the West Midlands, with 10,259 incidents reported. There were 9.1 burglaries for every 1,000 households, with one in every 110 homes in the area affected.  

Police covering Greater Manchester dealt with 10,259 reported home burglaries last year. This was the equivalent of 7.4 incidents per 1,000 households and one in every 135 homes. 

Across Northumbria, police were called out to 4,520 residential burglaries in 2025, equating to a rate of seven per 1,000 households. 

An analysis of the rate of home burglaries per 1,000 households showed that Avon and Somerset police forces dealt with the eleventh highest rate of burglaries across England and Wales last year. Police in these locations were called to 4,706 home burglary incidents, at a rate of 6.4 per 1,000 households. 

At the other end of the scale, Cumbria saw the lowest level of burglaries per 1,000 households, at 2.7. Cumbria Constabulary was called to 625 residential burglaries in 2025, SJL Insurance Services' analysis of the ONS data revealed. 

Police recorded 154,161 residential burglaries across England and Wales in the 12 months to December 2025, a 12 per cent drop on the previous year. 

The Crime Survey for England and Wales, which captures crimes not reported to police, estimates the true total at around 327,000 domestic burglaries. 

While reported burglaries across England and Wales fell year-on-year, police forces in the north of England continued to record rates significantly above those elsewhere. 

The City of London police force was not covered by the ONS data. 

Craig Morgan, an insurance expert at SJL Insurance Services said the figures exposed a stark postcode divide that many homeowners remain unaware of.

He said: 'While the headline national figures show burglary is falling, that comfort disappears very quickly when you look at the data by area. 

'In West Yorkshire, Cleveland and South Yorkshire, roughly one in every 95 to 99 homes was broken into last year. That is not a remote risk, that is a near-certainty over a few years of living in those areas.

'What concerns us most from an insurance perspective is that people in these hotspots often don't realise their exposure until it's too late. 

'Whether it's underinsured contents, high-value items that aren't properly specified, or simply not knowing what their policy requires them to do, the break-in itself is often just the start of the problem.'

What will your insurance cover? 

Buildings insurance covers damage to your windows, doors and fences caused by a break-in, as long as these features are declared on your policy. You may need additional cover for any outbuildings.

Contents insurance covers the cost of replacing stolen belongings such as your phone, TV, laptop or clothes, up to the limit set by your policy. 

Regularly review and update your home insurance to make sure it still reflects the true value of your home and belongings.

If you have made any large purchases or home improvements recently, your existing policy might not fully cover them, which could leave you out of pocket if you were burgled. 

Steps to deter burglars

There are certain steps you can take to prevent burglars from targeting your home. 

Consider investing in a security camera. A security camera shows that your home is being monitored. 

If you have an alarm at home, make sure it is activated. Monitored alarms connect to call centres when activated so that the police can be alerted, while unmonitored alarms react when tripped and can alert people in the local area of suspicious activity.  

The items most likely to be stolen during a burglary are wallets, purses, cash and cards. Consider buying a safe to put these items in. 

A safe could be a good investment, and far more secure than hiding possessions in predictable places like drawers.

Many households still leave cash and cards in plain sight on tables, worktops or even in hallways.

Ensure you have secure locks and consider which type of lock would be the best for your property. Consider adding hinge bolts to protect that side of the door from force too. 

Gardening or DIY tools and equipment are highly prized by burglars, so make sure you do not ignore anything stored beyond the main four walls of your home. Criminals are opportunists and will snatch easy pickings, whether it is a bike or a lawn mower. 

Be careful about distraction burglars, who often target the elderly and vulnerable.  

Distraction burglars pretend to be someone they are not in order to gain access to people's homes. 

Criminals will sometimes pretend to be, among other examples, from the council, a care agency or a utility company. They may work in teams or claim to be in a hurry or have an emergency and require entry to your home quickly. 

Be cautious and use a door viewer, if you have one, to see who is there first. If you open the door, put the chain on first.

Always ask for ID and check it with the company before letting somebody into your home.

If the person at the door claims to be from a utility firm, note that pre-planned appointments with utility companies can be set up with a password in advance.