Two vehicles A DAY stolen in Black Country after house break-ins

Figures obtained via the Freedom of Information show that the rate of car-key burglaries has nearly doubled in four years while the method of entry referred to as lock-snapping has quadrupled in the period.

Overall burglary rates have increased every 12 months from 3,372 in 2014 to 3,981 in the first nine months of this year - January 1 up to the end of September.

While the number of cars being driven off by intruders having swiped the keys has soared from 372 in the whole of 2014 to 550 this year already - two a day.

Lock-snapping, where burglars break the cylinders on uPVC doors, has also become far more prolific.

There were 48 incidents in 2014 but that has jumped to 176 so far this year.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "Despite record reductions over the past 15 years, burglary rates across the West Midlands have been slowly rising since June 2016.

"The fightback includes the use of capture houses - homes taken over by police and fitted with tiny CCTV cameras and infra-red sensors designed to catch criminals in the act.

"One of the techniques burglars are using is lock-snapping, but there are locks on the market which can combat this method of entry.

"They are branded as anti-snap locks. Householders are advised to ensure new locks are tested to TS007 standard, with a two or three star standard."

A breakdown of the figures reveals that Sandwell remains the burglary capital of the Black Country.

Incidents reduced slightly from 981 in 2014, to 977 in 2015 but then increased to 1,053 in 2016 while they have soared to 1,144 already this year.

Walsall is the next best target for intruders with break-ins rising from 818, 968, 970 to 1,098 in the period.

In Dudley burglaries have increased from 712, 752, 976 to 909 this year, while in Wolverhampton they dropped from 861 in 2014, to 724 in 2015 before rising to 813 in 2016 followed by 830 so far this year.

But lock-snapping and car-key burglaries are far more prominent in Dudley than anywhere else in the Black Country.

This year there have been 183 car-key house raids in the borough, compared to 138 in Walsall, 135 in Sandwell, and 94 in Wolverhampton, while there were 72 incidents of lock-snapping, compared to 41 in Walsall, 39 in Sandwell, and 24 in Wolverhampton.

Visit www.expressandstar.com and search 'ERA' for information on how the historic Black Country firm is helping to combat lock-snapping.