THE number of housebreakings in Renfrewshire is falling dramatically as a result of more people staying in at night, police chiefs have said.

Between the start of April and the end of November last year, incidents plummeted by a whopping 36% against the previous five-year average, with just 161 recorded.

Motor vehicle crime also fell by more than 16%, according to a performance report prepared for Renfrewshire Council’s police and fire scrutiny sub-committee.

Inspector Alex Marshall, of Renfrewshire’s community policing team, said the Covid pandemic had led to a trend in more people staying at home in the evenings, even after restrictions were lifted, which has made life more difficult for burglars.

She added: “There’s not a lot of people going out and about and leaving their properties unattended any more.

“Covid has a huge part to play in all of this.

“It’s hard to pinpoint any one reason why figures have fallen. We’re trying to be out and about and visible to people too, so that may have contributed, but I don’t want to take away from the fact Covid has had a big impact in many areas.

“I think it’s behind the fall in motor vehicle crime too but we do still have opportunists about and you will get people trying car doors.

“You would be surprised how many cars are left unlocked, so we are still trying to get messages out there. There are still ways of getting into cars as well without a true key.”

Disorder complaints fell by more than a fifth between April and November compared to the same period in 2020, with just over 6,000 recorded.

This has been put down to the relaxation of Covid rules, as the report states many disorder complaints in 2020 were related to perceived or actual breaches of regulations.

However, officers are continuing to report an alarming spike in fraud incidents, which rose more than 52% above the five-year average during the same period.

Many of these crimes are “cyber-enabled,” with reports of phishing scams – where a crook sends a fake message designed to trick someone into revealing sensitive information – and internet order fraud on the rise.

Insp Marshall said: “Facebook and WhatsApp and other social media sites are getting more and more popular and it’s definitely a concern for us.”