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Burglary claims are ‘despicable slur'.

A REPORT claiming Stockport is the fourth worst area in the whole of the UK for burglaries has been branded "despicable" and provoked a furious backlash from police.

Statistics released by insurance company Endsleigh, and publicised the length and breadth of the country, this week claimed Stockport homes were 49.8 percent more at risk of break-ins than the national average.

But angry borough police have dismissed the report’s credibility, insisting burglaries here have fallen by 42 percent - and in fact are among the lowest in Greater Manchester, while the Council described the report’s findings as ‘simply ludicrous’.

Endsleigh compiled its Homes Report 2008 by analysing the frequency of household theft claims from policy holders over the last four years.

But a spokesman for Stockport Police and the Safer Stockport Partnership said the work was hugely inaccurate.

He told us: "It is extremely difficult to treat the information released by Endsleigh as a credible piece of work. It doesn’t even give details of how many people took part.

"Stockport has one of the lowest burglary rates in Greater Manchester and was recently praised by the Home Office for being one of the top performing boroughs in England and Wales for crime reduction.

"A significant impact has been made in reducing all crime in the area, including burglary."

And Councillor Hazel Lees blasted the research as nothing more than a cynical marketing ploy.

She stormed: "The research from the insurance company is flawed. Official statistics from the recent British Crime Survey showed Stockport is the best performing authority in Greater Manchester for reducing overall crime.

"It is therefore quite ludicrous to say Stockport is the fourth worst area for household burglary in the country. This appears to be a cynical ploy by Endsleigh to scare people into buying more of their insurance policies. I find this quite despicable."

Meanwhile, local victims of crime have mixed views on the findings.

Elderly war veteran Ben Williams, 86, who fell victim to a violent burglary in which he was punched to the ground last December has expressed amazement at seeing his hometown named as one of the country's worst blackspots.

Ben, of Linksway, Gatley, said: "I was surprised, I would have thought Stockport would be quite low. Though when it happens it takes a while for you to get your confidence back.

"It also makes you more vigilant and changes the way you go about things, we make sure all the windows and doors are locked, have alarms and sharp wire along the top of the fence behind our house now."

But Masud Yaqub, of Hazel Grove, who has fallen victim to several burglaries, was not surprised by the findings. He said: "I’m no stranger to being burgled, it has died down recently but for a while it was happening a lot. We need more protection."

Rhiannon Harris, from Endsleigh, who compiled the data commented: "It’s welcome news that we are seeing a decrease in household theft right across the UK and particularly in places like Stockport, where excellent local initiatives have proved effective at driving down crime.

"The fact remains, however, that some towns and cities represent a greater risk than others and as our Homes Report shows, every householder in the country needs to be aware of the risks of burglary."

Click on the video link to hear the views of local people ...

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