The Belgian federal police published their 2025 crime statistics on 24 June 2026. For anyone concerned with the security of a Belgian home, they say three things: burglary is falling, it remains widespread, and it is far more frequent than the figures suggest.
The raw figures
35,438 home burglaries were recorded in Belgium in 2025, a 7% decrease compared with 2024. Across all crime, 903,078 offences were recorded, down 3%.
On a daily basis, that represents around 97 home burglaries a day. One every fifteen minutes.
The figure nobody quotes
The federal police accompany their statistics with a warning that completely changes how they should be read: around 66% of attempted burglaries and 30% of burglaries are not reported.
In other words, the 35,438 recorded cases are not the number of burglaries: they are the number of reported burglaries. The real volume is significantly higher, and under-reporting is particularly high for attempts — the ones that fail, precisely because a security device worked.
This is also why a 7% decrease should be read with caution: part of it may reflect a change in reporting behaviour rather than a real decline in the phenomenon.
When: winter, unsurprisingly
The seasonal pattern is clear. November, December and January account for almost 31% of the year's burglaries, compared with around 23% for the three summer months. December is the most exposed month.
The reason is mundane: night falls at 4.30 pm, homes are empty between 5 and 7 pm, and an unlit house is easy to spot from the street. It's no coincidence that presence simulation — a simple timer or a smart switch — remains one of the cheapest and most effective measures.
Where: not where you might think
In absolute numbers, the Brussels Region and the large provinces dominate. But relative to the number of households, the ranking changes:
| Province / Region | Burglaries per 10,000 households |
|---|---|
| Liège | 124 |
| Walloon Brabant | 119 |
| Brussels-Capital | 118 |
Walloon Brabant in second place often comes as a surprise. It illustrates a simple logic: burglars target perceived value and ease of access. Detached, isolated houses with a garden and discreet rear access are more exposed than a flat in a town centre, even in a municipality considered quiet.
What to do about it in practice
1. Deterrence happens before the break-in
A large share of burglaries never begin. Scouting almost always precedes the act itself, and something visible from the street — an outdoor siren, a visible camera, motion-activated lighting — is often enough to make them change target. It's the best cost-to-effect ratio in all of home security.
2. Detection must come before entry
An indoor motion detector goes off when the intruder is already inside. A magnetic contact with a shock sensor on the front door detects the attempt to force it. An outdoor detector spots the intruder in the garden. Those few dozen seconds gained change the outcome.
3. Verification avoids pointless alarms
The historic weak point of home alarms is the false alarm: after three triggers for no reason, people end up no longer arming the system. Photo verification detectors solve this — you see what triggered the alarm from your phone within seconds.
4. Footage is useful afterwards, not during
A camera doesn't scare everyone off and doesn't call anyone. Its value lies elsewhere: it documents, identifies and gives the police usable evidence. But that role requires footage to be stored properly and lawfully — see our guide to the camera law and mandatory declaration.
The step most often missed
Declaring. An alarm system that is not connected to a monitoring centre must be declared via police-on-web within ten days of being put into service, and confirmed every year. A camera that goes beyond a strictly domestic setting must be declared on declarationcamera.be. These steps are free, take a few minutes, and are widely ignored.
Find out more
Ready-to-install alarm kits · Detectors · Outdoor sirens · Video surveillance · Installation and monitoring
Sources: 2025 police crime statistics, federal police (published on 24 June 2026).
Not sure what to protect first in your home? Write to us at info@securishop.be with a rough floor plan and the number of entry points: we'll reply with a costed configuration.