UK police ‘quit’ on investigating crimes at file ranges as ‘system in disaster’

UK police forces have been urged to take ‘urgent action’ after it was revealed more criminals than ever are getting away with crimes due to authorities calling off investigations

More crooks are getting away with crimes due to police calling off investigations, according to a recent study.

Some 45% of reported offences in England and Wales which involved one victim were ditched by cops. From April to June, 452,517 probes were closed without a suspect being nicked – up more than 27,000 on the previous three months. The Victims’ Commissioner Baroness Newlove called on police forces to take “urgent action”.

She said: “Victims do not report crimes lightly, yet far too often cases are being abandoned without a suspect being identified, leaving victims feeling ignored and let down.”

The data also showed a further 41,578 cases were closed without bobbies collaring a culprit for crimes like vandalism or drug offences. The charity Victim Support described the figures as “very worrying” which showed a “criminal justice system in crisis”.

Its spokesman Alex Mayes added: “Anyone who has been the victim of crime deserves to have their case properly investigated and a fair shot at seeing justice.” Separate figures revealed 40.2% of crime reports ended without a suspect being traced in the 12 months to June. That was up from 39.5% the previous year.

And the year to June saw 2,156,075 incidents in which the police gave up trying to find the crooks – which is more than 5,900 crimes daily on average. The total included more than 325,000 incidents of violence and nearly 32,000 sex offences.

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And over 1.3 million thefts went unsolved including 139,222 burglaries. A spokesman for the National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “In every report, officers will assess what evidence and investigative lines may be available. In some cases there may not be enough information to act upon or bring about criminal proceedings.

“We recognise we need to do more to increase victim satisfaction and bring more offenders to justice. We are working closely with the Government to identify ways to become a more productive and efficient police service.”

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