Brussels burglaries down in 2023, but summer remains riskiest season

The number of residential burglaries in the Brussels region fell by 6.7% in 2023 compared to 2022, but the riskiest month for break-ins has only just begun.

August sees the highest number of burglaries and attempts because many people are on holiday, La Capitale reports.

According to statistics from federal police, there were 6,647 residential burglaries in Brussels in 2023, compared to 7,154 in the previous year.

Federal police say the downward trend can also be seen throughout Belgium. Nationally, the number of residential burglaries decreased by 7.7% last year.

“This is the lowest figure ever for residential burglaries with the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the pandemic measures left their mark on crime figures,” the federal police said.

August 2023 saw 675 reported offences in Brussels and May had the fewest with 482. Police also note a spike in the number of burglaries during the end-of-year period.

The total number of burglaries (which includes commercial and public buildings) fell from 9,704 to 9,102 last year for the Brussels region.

Before the pandemic, the number of residential burglaries in the Belgian capital hovered around 7,500 cases, and fell to 5,309 in 2020.

Burglars started to strike again more frequently after the coronavirus shutdowns ended, resulting in an increase in 2021 and 2022. Last year's lower figures indicate that the post-pandemic rebound has likely come to an end.

The fall in the number of residential burglaries is occurring mainly in the south of Brussels. The Midi police zone (Anderlecht, Forest, Saint-Gilles) and Marlow (Uccle, Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort) saw significantly fewer burglaries, with figures 11% and 21% lower in 2023, respectively.

Conversely, Brussels-Capital/Iwelles and Brussels-North police zones saw a slight increase with up to 6% more burglaries in the North zone. Still, the total number of burglaries remained significantly lower than in the southern and eastern municipalities.

Residential burglaries in 2023 involved mostly jewellery and watches being stolen (20.1% of cases), along with cash (15.5% of cases).

Laptops were also commonly stolen, with burglars snatching them in 700 cases.