Risk of burglary higher in North

GREATER Manchester Police's force lead for burglary insists his force is making progress on tackling break-ins across the region. The number of burglaries solved rose by two-thirds last year and the number of suspects arrested is up 42%.

- ROB PARSONS

But, as Superintendent Chris Foster admitted recently, the number of burglaries in Greater Manchester, while down on previous years, is still too high. And it's an admission backed up by the data, which shows Manchester as the nation's hot spot for break-ins.

Homes in Manchester are 15 times more likely to be targeted by criminals, compared to areas with the lowest rates, reports data journalist Richard Ault for The Northern Agenda.

And there's a wider regional divide, with nearly all the towns and cities most at risk from burglars being in the North.

Of the top 10 areas most likely to be burgled last year, all but two of them are in the North, with Middlesbrough, Doncaster, Hartlepool, Sheffield and Hull all near the top of the list.