Burglary Victims Responsible if their Doors are not Locked

door-handleThe Assistant Chief Constable of Leicestershire has been reported as stating that the police will no longer investigate crimes of burglary at a property if the victim did not lock their door or secure their premises.

Mr Philip Kay, Assistant Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary based at Enderby, said he would prefer his officers’ endeavours to be used in helping tackle crime prevention issues.  He stated that students especially ignore home security.  There are a large number of students in Leicester itself, as well as Loughborough and other locations in Leicestershire and Rutland, which are within the operational area covered by Mr Kay’s constabulary.

Mr Kay has previously been recognized nationally for having worked with partners and communities to significantly reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and has been Assistant Chief Constable since 2013.

Mr Kay stated that there is “an expectation within the NHS that we are not going to operate on you if your body mass index is too high, yet if people leave windows and doors open there is an expectation the police will investigate”.

Mr Kay’s comments were condemned by Councilors’ and Academic staff who said they sounded like an invitation for burglars’ or a burglars’ charter.

The extent to which insurance companies may or may not use this to decline or refuse claims remains to be seen.

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LCB
19.10.16