In July, the Home Office published the British Crime Survey for 2010-2011 which revealed that domestic burglaries had risen by 14%. However, the 11,800 burglaries in Kent showed a decrease of 5% on last year's figures.

Paul Brandon, Assistant Chief Constable of Kent Police, said: "We are pleased to see a continuing fall in overall crime in Kent. However, we will not be complacent and will continue to work to reduce crime and the impact of crime on our county."

Tips for protecting your home from burglary

The British Security Industry Association have issued some top tips for protecting your home:

1. Keep doors and windows locked, especially those which are accessible either from the ground floor or an adjacent flat roof.

2. Get a basic monitored intruder alarm as statistics have shown that these do deter the casual burglar. Make sure yours meets EN50131-1 and is maintained on a regular basis.

3. Use an asset marking system. These are a good deterrent and also give you a chance of recovering any property that does get stolen.

4. Prevent Identity Theft by ensuring that you don't put any documents containing personal details out with the rubbish without shredding them first.

5. Get professional advice when choosing any security products or systems.

Find out about our burglar alarms for protecting your home from burglary.