Almost four in five car thefts across England and Wales have remained unsolved according to shocking new Home Office data.
A staggering 24,837 vehicle theft cases remained unsolved in the quarter ending June 2024, representing 78.5 per cent of all reported incidents.
The figures, released this week, paint a concerning picture of law enforcement's ability to tackle vehicle crime across the nation.
The data revealed thousands of victims are being left without justice as police forces struggle to solve car theft cases.
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The Metropolitan Police recorded the worst performance, with 90 per cent of all reported car thefts going unsolved in London.
South Yorkshire followed closely behind, with 85 per cent of vehicle thefts remaining unresolved.
Several other regions showed similar statistics, with Essex, Wiltshire, Sussex and Hertfordshire all reporting at least 80 per cent of car thefts unsolved during the recorded period.
This stands in stark contrast to Dyfed-Powys in Wales, which emerged as the best-performing force with only 38 per cent of cases going unsolved, followed by Norfolk at 39 per cent.
But the charging rate for car thefts remains alarmingly low, with just 2.8 per cent of cases resulting in charges or summons across England and Wales.
This represents fewer than 900 cases where suspects were charged during the quarter ending June 2024, the report stated.
The figures suggest that out of 31,654 vehicle theft investigations concluded during this period, only 883 led to criminal charges.
This data, compiled from Home Office statistics, indicates that the vast majority of car thieves are evading prosecution. The low prosecution rate stands in stark contrast to the high volume of reported thefts, leaving thousands of victims without resolution.
Response times for police attending car thefts varied dramatically across different forces, according to the Freedom of Information requests. In Durham, victims waited an average of 23 hours and 54 minutes for an officer to arrive at the scene in 2023.
However, Cleveland residents in Yorkshire faced nearly 13-hour average wait times. By contrast, Avon and Somerset police responded in just seven minutes and 38 seconds on average.
Other relatively quick response times were recorded in Humberside at 15 minutes 25 seconds, South Yorkshire at 17 minutes 23 seconds, and Warwickshire at 21 minutes three seconds.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said: "Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve, with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved, and thieves getting away scot free."
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She added: “This cannot continue. Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately after brutal cuts to community police officers that is far from the truth.”
In response to the news, the Liberal Democrats have called for urgent restoration of proper community policing with adequate resources.
Find Out More...
A staggering 24,837 vehicle theft cases remained unsolved in the quarter ending June 2024, representing 78.5 per cent of all reported incidents.
The figures, released this week, paint a concerning picture of law enforcement's ability to tackle vehicle crime across the nation.
The data revealed thousands of victims are being left without justice as police forces struggle to solve car theft cases.
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]
The Metropolitan Police recorded the worst performance, with 90 per cent of all reported car thefts going unsolved in London.
South Yorkshire followed closely behind, with 85 per cent of vehicle thefts remaining unresolved.
Several other regions showed similar statistics, with Essex, Wiltshire, Sussex and Hertfordshire all reporting at least 80 per cent of car thefts unsolved during the recorded period.
This stands in stark contrast to Dyfed-Powys in Wales, which emerged as the best-performing force with only 38 per cent of cases going unsolved, followed by Norfolk at 39 per cent.
But the charging rate for car thefts remains alarmingly low, with just 2.8 per cent of cases resulting in charges or summons across England and Wales.
This represents fewer than 900 cases where suspects were charged during the quarter ending June 2024, the report stated.
The figures suggest that out of 31,654 vehicle theft investigations concluded during this period, only 883 led to criminal charges.
This data, compiled from Home Office statistics, indicates that the vast majority of car thieves are evading prosecution. The low prosecution rate stands in stark contrast to the high volume of reported thefts, leaving thousands of victims without resolution.
Response times for police attending car thefts varied dramatically across different forces, according to the Freedom of Information requests. In Durham, victims waited an average of 23 hours and 54 minutes for an officer to arrive at the scene in 2023.
However, Cleveland residents in Yorkshire faced nearly 13-hour average wait times. By contrast, Avon and Somerset police responded in just seven minutes and 38 seconds on average.
Other relatively quick response times were recorded in Humberside at 15 minutes 25 seconds, South Yorkshire at 17 minutes 23 seconds, and Warwickshire at 21 minutes three seconds.
Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said: "Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve, with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved, and thieves getting away scot free."
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She added: “This cannot continue. Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately after brutal cuts to community police officers that is far from the truth.”
In response to the news, the Liberal Democrats have called for urgent restoration of proper community policing with adequate resources.
Find Out More...