More than a third of burglaries in Richmond were left unsolved last year.

 

The latest figures reveal that 38 per cent of burglary cases in the borough were unsolved but closed in 2016.

 

Hammersmith and Fulham was reported to be the worst borough with 61 per cent of burglaries marked as unsolved before being closed, with Kingston not far behind reporting 59 per cent unresolved cases.

 

A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “Burglary presents particular challenges in regard to identifying those responsible and we accept there is more work to be done - and are always seeking ways to increase the number of these crimes we solve.

 

“To this end we have put significant resources into improving our process of investigations over the past few years with the aim of increasing detection rates.”

 

The spokesman added: “We also undertook a 'cradle to grave' review of burglary to ensure all was being done to enhance opportunities to bring offenders to justice.

 

“One of the recommendations of this review led to the implementation of 'forensic converter teams' across London.

 

“These are dedicated teams dealing with the identification, locating and charging of offenders, which should in time result in an improvement in detection rates.”

 

Homeowners are advised to take steps to deter burglars, including installing visible burglar alarms.

 

Locksmithservice.co.uk analysed the police data to reveal the figures. Its managing director Victor Baron said: "Break-in repairs are always a difficult call-out for us.

 

“Many of the victims of burglary that we deal with are left feeling vulnerable and frustrated by the crime, with little faith that their perpetrators will be brought to justice.”

 

Mr Baron added: “After this study, we realised that many more burglars were getting away with these crimes than first anticipated which is certainly a worry for many Londoners.”