Fury as police forces clear up simply ONE in 5 car theft instances – as senior officers are accused of letting criminals off ‘scot free’
Police chiefs have been accused of letting criminals off ‘scot free’ after failing to catch car thieves in four out of five cases.
The 78.5 per cent failure rate meant 24,837 cases of car theft from a total of 31,654 in the three months leading up to June 2024 went unsolved.
Overall, just 883 of reported cases ended up with a suspect being charged – equivalent to 2.8 per cent.
The Metropolitan Police reported the worst figures, with over 90 per cent of 8,861 vehicle thefts in the capital going unsolved during the time period.
Last year it emerged that police failed to attend car theft incidents in more than 70 per cent of cases.
The Liberal Democrats, which commissioned the research, have called on ministers to restore proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources to respond to neighbourhood crimes properly.
The party’s Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart 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.
The 78.5 per cent failure rate meant 24,837 car theft cases out of 31,654 in three months to June 2024 went unsolved (file image)
The Metropolitan Police fared worst, with over 90 per cent of 8,861 thefts unsolved. It was 85 per cent in South Yorkshire (file image)
‘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.
‘We urge the new government to change the course by getting tough on crime, investing properly in local neighbourhood policing and keeping communities safe.’
Last year vehicle theft remained at a 15-year high in the UK, with 129,159 vehicles stolen between April 2023 and March 2024.
Car hacking technology bought online by organised crime gangs has been blamed for fuelling the rise.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) says criminals are increasingly turning to devices which enable them to hack into and drive off with high-end cars – without having to steal the keys.
Car security firms have also claimed they are seeing increasing numbers of thieves towing cars from driveways or the side of the road in broad daylight.
The Metropolitan Police said: ‘The Met recognises the impact motor vehicle crime can have on victims, especially those who rely on vehicles for employment or the routine of daily life.
‘We have prioritised vehicle crime under our New Met for London plan, and are driving a number of initiatives to tackle the increase and reduce offending.’
A Home Office source said: ‘The tories hollowed out neighbourhood policing and left too many feeling like nothing would happen if they reported a crime. On their watch, public confidence in policing plummeted with 90% of crimes going unsolved.
‘We are working with the police to rebuild public confidence, with 13,000 additional neighbourhood police and PCSOs out on our streets and a new Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee with guaranteed town centre patrols and a named officer for every community as part of our Plan for Change.’
