A reported 370% surge in the number of burglaries was observed in San Francisco’s Richmond District on a year-to-year comparison between 2020 and this year, city data showed.
The San Francisco Police Department said that the reported numbers of burglaries went up to 108 as of February 7, which was far higher than the 23 reported cases from the same time last year.
Surge of Burglaries
City police described burglaries as an illegal entry into a home or business to commit a crime or robbery. The department said “attempted forcible entry,” “forcible entry,” and “unlawful entry” were separate forms of offenses where no force was involved.
In Richmond, there were 56 forcible entries recorded as of February 7. That figure was only 12 last year, according to statistics from the San Francisco Police Department.
As of February 7, the number of alleged forcible entries recorded was 26. A 250% increase compared to the single instance of recorded attempted forcible entry last year.
The police department’s crime report dashboard showed that burglaries have surged by 57% since 2020 in the whole of San Francisco.
“The department has seen an increase in burglaries across the city, particularly after the COVID-19 shelter in place orders took effect. We are seeing a trend of garage burglaries in which bicycles are being stolen,” SFPD spokesperson Michael Andraychak said.
After the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, San Francisco police and residents have witnessed an increase in home burglaries. Since late 2020, the Richmond District and the Marina have been amongst the hardest hit by recorded burglaries.
Police also recognized the challenges of arresting burglary criminals, given that the cases lacked physical evidence or eyewitnesses, which make these cases more difficult to solve.
On the contrary, reported car break-ins have dropped after the travel restrictions and stay-at-home orders started in mid-March, which were the usual timelines for break-ins.
According to city data, here are the figures of the noted burglaries as of February 7 in comparison to last year in Richmond:
• Attempted forcible entry:
2021: 26
2020: 1
• Forcible entry:
2021: 56
• Attempted forcible entry:
2021: 26
2020: 1
• Forcible entry:
2021: 56
2020: 12
• Unlawful entry (no force):
2021: 30
2020: 11
• Reported burglaries as of Feb. 7 in all of San Francisco:
2021: 930
2020: 593
