“I want to make the position crystal clear. As long as I am Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland every burglary will of course continue to be investigated, as it always has been.
“It is irrelevant whether or not windows are left open or shut. Burglary is burglary. Burglary will naturally be included in my Police and Crime Plan – alongside a wholehearted commitment to investigate crime.
“Of course crime prevention is critical. It seems to me that this is what Phil Kay was getting at. Everybody has a responsibility to be vigilant.
“Prevention is even more important today because of the enormous cuts that have been imposed on the Police in Leicestershire and elsewhere. In Leicestershire we have lost 20% of our Police force in five years.
“I was a Criminal Barrister for many years and burglary of all kinds was treated as a really serious offence – it involves the invasion of a victim’s property. This is my view and it is the view of Leicestershire Police for whom the commitment to tackling crime remains undiminished.”
Read the force response here
Ends
Issued by Sallie Blair – 01283 821012
Posted on Monday 17th October 2016