Burglary is a high volume crime, affecting around 1 in 25 households annually. It is estimated that there were 1.28 million domestic burglaries in England and Wales in 1999. The number of domestic burglaries has fallen in recent years. The approaches that police forces and crime reduction partnerships adopt in identifying high-risk households include identifying localities where the risk is high and target crime reduction measures, identify the types of households at high risk and target only these, and combining both approaches. Using the ACORN area classification, the BCS indicates types of areas with particularly high domestic burglary risks. ACORN assigns each Enumeration District (approximately 150 households) in the country to one of 54 ACORN types according to the social and housing characteristics in its immediate area. ACORN measures the type of area in which a household is located rather than the characteristics of the area. The BCS national picture provides a number of potential action points likely to be relevant at a local level, including raising public awareness about the efficacy of home security, targeting potential victims, and tackling repeat victimization. Establishing how burglars operate is particularly important in terms of advice about crime prevention measures. It may also provide a baseline against which to measure local experience, including prolific offenders using unusual techniques. Basic security measures, such as deadlocks and window locks, are effective in reducing risk. Burglar alarms, security lights, or window grills are even more effective. 1 figure, 2 tables, 14 references