In 2020 there were significantly fewer car burglaries than in 2019. Much of the decrease was visible at the time of the lockdowns.
The number of car burglaries decreased by 6.7 percent in 2020 compared to a year earlier. This is evident from an analysis of Independer, based on police data. The decrease was strongest in the province of Limburg, where even 22.3 percent fewer car burglaries were registered. According to Independer, the lockdowns play a major role in this. It discovered that when there was a lockdown, there were significantly fewer car burglaries. However, the number of burglaries outside the lockdowns did increase compared to the same periods in 2019.
The number of burglaries in cars decreased by an average of 16.7 percent during the first lockdown in 2020, while the number of incidents increased by 7.7 percent and 12.8 percent respectively in January and February compared to a year earlier. After the first lockdown, the number of car burglaries increased again. In the months of July to September, an average of 9.1 percent more incidents were reported than in 2019. During the current lockdown, car burglars are again less often on the road. From October 2020 to February 2021, cars were broken into an average of 28.7 percent less than in the same period a year earlier.
In the infographics below you can see the difference in car burglaries compared to 2019 per municipality, but also the difference between a lockdown or no lockdown.
Source: Independer