Police officers on the Isle of Wight will now attend every report of a residential burglary they receive, following a review by Hampshire Constabulary.
The force said it hasn't always sent teams in the past as they assess each case based on resources available at the time.
"Regardless of whether we attended, the Neighbourhood Policing Team would still review all reports to ensure that patterns could be identified and relevant crime prevention advice could be given", Acting Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said.
The change means every domestic burglary will now be responded to and investigated.
Donna Jones, Police and Crime Commissioner for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, said it is what the public "rightly expect and deserve".
She said:
“So often we hear about crimes that have been reported but haven’t received the police response we expect, but I know police officers want to investigate these crimes, and I know they want to get justice for victims.
“Every deployment is an opportunity to identify offenders and increase charge rates.
“Delivering straightforward policing and visibility in response to crimes that matter the most to people is right and proper and I expect this re-focus on deployment and investigation to have a positive effect on communities in both counties.”
Ben Snuggs added:
"We know that our initial attendance to burglary victims will improve our outcome rates through identifying early forensic and investigative lines of enquiry which members of the public may not have previously noticed. Our attendance will also help to improve public confidence and help victims to feel safer in their homes, which is a cornerstone of victim-focused policing. Our commitment to attend every residential burglary report will ensure that we take full advantage of the increased use of technology, both within policing and in our communities, such as good quality video doorbell footage, to identify and prosecute those responsible.
“It’s important to remember that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are safe places to live and work in, with an average of only eight burglaries reported to us a day. We recognise that while the number of these offences may be small, they can in some cases be linked to other forms of criminality, such as drug supply or organised crime. By attending all residential dwelling burglary reports, I want to send a very clear message that we will not tolerate these crimes. We want to give ourselves the very best opportunity to disrupt and deter crime, and catch those criminals who are responsible.
“We will continue to work closely with our communities to identify opportunities to prevent burglary and further reduce the number of victims being affected.”
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