WEST Yorkshire is the burglary capital of Britain.
Home Office figures reveal that there were 446 break-ins for every 10,000 properties in the region during the 2002-2003 period.
The West Yorkshire total is more than double the average for England and Wales of 202 burglaries per 10,000 properties.
The worst place in the region is central Leeds, where residents suffered one break-in for every 10 homes last year.
West Yorkshire police said the figures should be set against a backdrop of large numbers of officers diverted to serious crime investigations.
In the 12 months to April, 2003, 36,406 homes were burgled in West Yorkshire and there were 5,702 attempted burglaries.
Also, 33,401 break-ins were recorded at business properties in the region during the same period.
A spokesman said: "By the end of the year there was a reversal of the upward trend, with month on month reductions.
"Tackling burglaries remains one of West Yorkshire Police's priorities and we have continued to make major inroads into reducing them.
"We recorded 2,262 fewer burglaries across the county between April and November last year, compared with the same period of the previous 12 months.
"The force has been targeting prolific offenders on a regular basis," he added.
"We have had a number of successful operations targeting specific groups.
"It should be pointed out that West Yorkshire Police has fewer officers per 1,000 population than any of the metropolitan forces."
Greater Manchester is second to West Yorkshire in the table, with 408 break-ins per 10,000 properties. It is followed by Nottingham with 382.
The area with the lowest rate of burglaries is Dyfed-Powys in Wales, where there were 32 burglaries per 10,000 households.
Nationally, the number of house burglaries has fallen from its record highs in the early 1990s.
