Burglary
Experiences of burgled older people
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The Home Office Distraction Burglary Task Force has produced two reports highlighting the effect that burglary has on vulnerable groups. This report "Experiences of burgled older people" looks at a subject group living in sheltered accommodation in North Wales, identified in the course of a Reducing Burglary Initiative project.
Title: Experiences of burgled older people
Author: Roger Donaldson
Series: Findings Report 198
Number of pages: 4
Date published: June 2003
This report suggests that being a victim of burglary has a significant effect on the health of the elderly. This differs from the findings of the first report "Distraction burglary amongst older adults and minority ethnic communities" however this can be explained by the fact that the average age of the group in the 2nd report were, on average, 5 years older and were living in residential care, which indicates a greater level of pre-existing decline.
The key findings were:
When this group were victims their health declined faster than non-burgled fellow residents of similar age.
The reported impact of burglary on the health and emotional state of older victims is typically great.
Targeting appeared to relate more to the location and physical security of the (sheltered) accommodation than the householder's vulnerability. Improving location and designing in security would help reduce risks.
Improved communication of the outcome of investigation and prosecutions can reassure older victims of burglary considerably, and could be adopted into good practice.
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Last update: Wednesday, August 27, 2008