Almost 600 burglaries PER DAY went unsolved last year

Just what ARE the police for? Almost 600 burglaries PER DAY went unsolved last year as violent crime surges

• Nearly 600 burglaries a day went unsolved by police last year, figures reveal 
• Read more: Moment car engulfed in flames hurtles into a double-decker bus 

More than 200,000 burglaries – almost 600 a day – went unsolved by police last year, shocking new figures reveal.

Crime statistics published by the Government showed 77 per cent of cases were closed by police in England and Wales with no suspect identified.

It means that 209,424 domestic break-ins, or 574 a day, went unsolved, the analysis of official data by the Liberal Democrats revealed.

Separate Home Office data showed only 5.1 per cent of ‘violence against the person’ offences led to a suspect being taken to court. For robbery the figure was 6.6 per cent and for thefts 4.3 per cent.

Across all types of crime reported last year, just 5.6 per cent led to a suspect being charged or summonsed – roughly the same as the previous year. A further 4 per cent led to the offender being given a ‘slap on the wrist’ punishment.

Crime statistics published by the Government showed 77 per cent of cases were closed by police with no suspect identified (file image) 

Home Secretary Suella Braverman told police forces this week to concentrate on crimes which affect the law-abiding majority

It comes after Home Secretary Suella Braverman told police forces this week to concentrate on crimes which affect the law-abiding majority, rather than interfere in political causes. She expressed particular distaste for officers pandering to road-blocking protesters and ‘taking the knee’ in support of Black Lives Matter.

Last October police chiefs agreed to send an officer to every burgled home – but the new commitment has yet to lead to an increase in solved crimes. The Lib Dems are now calling for a ‘burglary response guarantee’ to be made law, requiring all such crimes to be attended – and investigated – by police.

While the number of offenders brought to justice remains minuscule, recorded crime levels are reaching new highs. The overall number of offences logged by police hit 6.6million last year, Office for National Statistics data showed yesterday.

Violent crime surged by 20 per cent compared with pre-Covid levels to a record 2.1million offences, a 5 per cent year-on-year rise.

Sex offences also hit a new high with 189,731 logged by forces, up 19 per cent on pre-Covid levels. The total included a 17 per cent increase in reported rapes.

And the number of car thefts hit 125,586 last year – up 26 per cent on the previous 12 months and the highest level since 2009. But the police’s clear-up rate was paltry. Just 2 per cent of the 66,813 vehicle thefts reported between April and December led to a crook being taken to court.

Read more: Terrifying moment car engulfed in flames hurtles into a double-decker bus seconds after schoolchildren ran to safety 

Of the remaining thefts, 70 per cent were closed without a suspect identified, 12 per were brought to a halt by ‘evidential difficulties’ and about 15 per cent were yet to be finalised.

The ONS said the overall 6.6million crimes recorded by police in 2022 was a record high.

The previous peak was 6.23million in the year to March 2022, although this covered part of the same period covered by yesterday’s data. Prior to that, the peak was 6.01million in 2003-04.

But the Government’s preferred measure of crime – the Crime Survey for England and Wales – suggested overall crime was down 12 per cent compared with pre-pandemic levels to 9million offences.

The CSEW figure – based on interviews with members of the public and extrapolated – also found fraud remained static at 3.7million offences but one kind of con showed a sharp surge. 

‘Advance fee fraud’ – which sees swindlers persuade victims to transfer up-front payments for goods or services which never materialise – was up by nearly eight times to 454,000, compared with 60,000 before the pandemic.

Data also showed imitation firearms are the main type of weapon used in gun crime – with 2,196 incidents, up 49 per cent on pre-Covid levels. 

Policing minister Chris Philp said: ‘We continue to make progress to reduce crime overall, recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers.’ 

The ONS said recorded crime data excluded Devon and Cornwall Police because of problems with the force’s new computer system.

The number of criminals using knives to threaten a victim’s life jumped by a fifth to 5,942 offences last year, ONS data reveals. However, overall knife crime was down 9 per cent on pre-pandemic levels to 49,265 incidents.

Source: Read Full Article