HOMEOWNERS are to be given cash discounts to buy alarms and window locks amid government fears that burglaries could rise dramatically during the recession.

Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, will announce this week that ministers have teamed up with the DIY retailers B&Q and Focus to provide discount vouchers to help householders make their homes more secure.

The move follows growing evidence that robbery and burglary are on the rise across the country, almost doubling in some areas.

Official crime statistics published in January revealed a 4% rise in domestic burglary, a 16% increase in fraud and forgery, and an 18% rise in street robberies committed at knifepoint.

Ministers fear the next set of quarterly crime statistics, due to be published at the end of this month, will show an even greater increase in burglary and other acquisitive crimes such as shoplifting, theft and robbery.

“History shows that acquisitive crime goes up when economic times are hard,” said a Home Office official.

“Burglary has gone up in the last two recessions. It’s not inevitable, but it has gone up in the last quarter.”

Smith has called a “burglary summit” this week, at which she will announce the introduction of 10% discount vouchers at B&Q. Customers will be able to redeem the vouchers against items such as alarms, window locks and timer switches. The discount will rise to 15% for those who spend more than £50.

Burglary victims — and possibly their neighbours — will also be offered a 10% discount card by police to use at Focus DIY stores.

In her first public comments on the likely effects of the downturn on crime, Smith said yesterday: “Burglary has more than halved in the last 10 years and I am determined to stay ahead of criminals who think they can take advantage in tough times. Previous downturns have seen rises in burglary, but I do not accept this is inevitable.”

Last July, Home Office statisticians said they expected the credit crisis to lead to “upward pressure” on the crime rate.

The last sustained rise in the burglary rate was seen in the mid-1990s after a recession in 1991-2.

Recent figures show that burglary and robbery increased by 20%-50% in Greater Manchester, Suffolk, Gloucestershire and Cumbria. Robberies in Lincolnshire rose by 97% between September and November last year.

Although overall violent crime has fallen by 6%, according to the police, ministers fear the impact an “acquisitive crimewave” could have on voters in the run-up to a general election.

Yesterday the Tories dismissed the burglary summit as another Labour gimmick. Chris Grayling, the shadow home secretary, said: “If holding summits made any difference, we wouldn’t have half the problems we have today. What burglary victims really need is more police on our streets and fewer police tied up in police stations doing paperwork.”

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