One in 99 homes in county were burgled last year says shock new study

Using official figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), SJL Insurance Services found that South Yorkshire was the third most-burgled area in England and Wales in 2025.

South Yorkshire recorded 5,950 residential burglaries last year, a rate of 10.1 per 1,000 households, placing it in a northern top three alongside West Yorkshire and Cleveland.

The stats comes from the ONS Police Force Area data tables for the year ending December 2025, which were published in April.

The data reveals a concentration of burglary risk across Yorkshire and the North East, with Greater Manchester and the West Midlands also among the worst-affected.

Nationally, police recorded 154,161 residential burglaries across England and Wales in the 12 months to December 2025, a 12 per cent fall on the previous year, but the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which captures crimes not reported to police, estimates the true total at around 327,000 domestic burglaries.

Craig Morgan, insurance expert at SJL Insurance Services, 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 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.

“The Yorkshire and North East triangle that emerges from this data is striking. If you live or own property in these areas, now is the time to check your cover is up to date, not after a break-in.”

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: “We recognise the devastating impact of burglaries on victims and that is why we remain absolutely committed to tackling this issue, protecting the people of South Yorkshire and bringing offenders to justice.

“Dedicated neighbourhood crime teams work robustly across the force to tackle domestic burglaries, and we have introduced intensive patrols in hotspots areas for burglaries across South Yorkshire.

“We have identified through crime data analysis, areas for focussed problem-solving work to change the environment and make places less safe for burglars to operate. We have worked with local residents and key partners to establish a long-term plan to keep their homes and livelihoods safe from burglars.

“The patrols ensure a visible presence of officers in key areas at specific times of the day when offending has been more prevalent and during these patrols, officers have spoken to thousands of residents to make them aware of burglaries in their area and to offer vital crime prevention advice to better protect them from potential burglars.

“Research shows that when a home is burgled there is an increased risk of nearby properties being targeted by burglars in the time period immediately following the initial burglary.

“That is why we have systemised our approach to cocooning - an activity designed to protect neighbouring properties and people from falling victim to burglary - by visiting neighbours to alert them to a nearby burglary and encourage them to take action.

“Statistics show that in 2025 we saw a 25.9 per cent reduction in burglaries since 2024, equating to over 2,000 less victims if burglary has remained at the level set in 2024.

“That reduction is testament to the initiatives introduced to tackle this type of criminality and we will continue to utilise all these methods to arrest offenders and bring them to justice.”