The little town of Hythe, just outside Folkestone, is what one might describe as a quiet place.

There are a couple of small industrial estates and the town centre. As a Cinque Port, it once had a busy harbour, but that is no longer in use. So why are Hythe crime statistics so outrageously high?

You might be surprised.

Despite a population of around 14,000, Kent police have just released statistics for the year ending March 2015 which show that there were 588 crimes committed in the town – one for every 23 residents.

28 Cases Dealt With At Court

Of these, just 28 offenders were dealt with in court and only a mere eight were sent to prison. That’s under 2%.

One offender was given a suspended sentence, four a conditional discharge and three were given a community sentence.

Six defendants were found not guilty and, in another seven, the case was either unable to proceed or the court result unavailable.

So it seems that if you commit a crime in Hythe, your chances of getting away with it are extremely high. In fact, police reported that they were either “unable to prosecute the suspect”, or had no suspect identified in a whopping 80.24% of all cases.

Hythe crime statistics reveal burglars are getting away

High on the list of crimes committed in Hythe during the year was burglary. No less than 57 cases were recorded. This is shocking when compared to the population of the town.

It means that the majority of residents, while they may not have suffered a burglary themselves, will be related to, or will know someone who has.

As always, it will be those homes that have no obvious security that have suffered to the worst extent.

Burglars are looking for an easy target, and if they see a burglar alarm, a CCTV camera and security lighting, they will simply look elsewhere for a property that does not have any protection.

Drug Habit

Many of these burglaries will have been carried out in order to obtain funds to feed a drug habit.

So, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer a burglary in Hythe, your chances of ever getting any property back – even in the unlikely event that the police catch the burglar – are very small indeed.

No matter that the lovely oil painting you had on the lounge wall was worth £4,000, your average burglar doesn’t know and doesn’t care. If his contact only offers him £15.00 for it, he will take it.

It goes to show that, if you live in Hythe, you should take every possible precaution by having a burglar alarm installed within your home

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