Break-ins fall in plush city areas

THE number of housebreakings recorded in the Meadows and Morningside area has fallen by a fifth, new figures have shown.

A total of 68 break-ins to homes were carried out between last April and December, compared with 86 for the same eight-month period the year before, a fall of 21 per cent.

Officers have solved 44 of the 68 break-ins, giving a 65 per cent solvency rate for housebreakings in the area, compared with just 41 per cent for the same point in 2010.

Meanwhile, break-ins to businesses in the area also fell from 18 to 11 over the same period.

Bike thefts decreased by eight per cent for the Meadows and Morningside area, going down from 161 to 154.

But car thefts and attempted car thefts rose over the period, from 48 to 55, while shoplifting offences climbed from 82 to 100, according to the figures released by Lothian and Borders Police.