Just one out of 159 home burglaries reported in Test Valley in 2025 resulted in formal police action, according to data from Hampshire Constabulary.
Across the district, which includes Andover and Romsey, a total of 240 burglaries were recorded. Of these, nine cases led to a “Formal Action Taken” (FAT) outcome such as a charge, caution or community resolution.
Detective Superintendent Ellie Hurd, Hampshire Constabulary’s force lead for burglary, said:
“Burglary is one of the most intrusive crimes that can have untold, long-lasting impacts on victims.
“We have teams who specialise in investigating burglaries of people’s homes, recognising this is particularly traumatic for victims – we are committed to attending these and prioritise these investigations.
She said officers attend the vast majority of reported incidents, with a dwelling burglary attendance rate of 98.2 per cent across northern districts, rising to 100 per cent between November 2025 and January 2026.
Detective Superintendent Hurd highlights the challenges of investigations:
“There can be other complexities when investigating a burglary, such as a lack of witnesses, clear CCTV or DNA evidence. However, we remain committed to attending burglary reports and gathering the required evidence to arrest offenders, charge them and put them before the courts.
“In the last 12 months, we have experienced a 13.2% decrease in the number of dwelling burglaries that have been reported to us across the northern districts – and we hope with our ongoing work, this figure will continue to reduce.
She emphasises that investigating burglary and upskilling officers in initially attend scenes will be continued to be invested in, to get the most lines of enquiry as soon as possible.