Worst police forces fail to solve over 90% of burglaries as Suella Braverman is accused of ‘losing control’ of crime
- Nearly three-quarters of 137,000 burglary reports dropped without suspect
- The Metropolitan Police suffered the highest number of burglary reports at 37,726
Suella Braverman has been accused of ‘losing control’ of crime after new figures revealed at least 100,000 burglaries went unsolved last year.
Almost three-quarters of the 137,000 burglary reports were dropped without a suspect, according to new figures from the Liberal Democrats.
City of London and Cumbria forces were the worst culprits, failing to solve 93% and 91% of cases respectively. Cumbria Police have dropped 938 of the 1,008 reported cases.
The Metropolitan Police suffered the highest number of burglary reports at 37,726. They have subsequently only solved 26,974 – just over 70%, and a steep drop from the 85% solved in 2021.
Other major police forces, including the West Midlands, Merseyside and West Yorkshire, have also been guilty of closing thousands of cases without identifying a suspect.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been accused of ‘losing control’ of crime after new figures revealed at least 100,000 burglaries went unsolved last year
Cleveland police were the most effective of the 26 forces that responded to Freedom of Information requests, solving 92% of all burglaries.
In October, the National Council of Chief Constables confirmed that all home burglaries would be assisted by police.
Chairman Martin Hewitt said: ‘Wherever you live in England and Wales you can be sure the police will be present if you experience a home burglary invasion. This should see more burglaries solved and more offenders prosecuted.
Last night the Home Secretary was asked to back a new legal safeguard which would ensure that all burglaries are assisted by the police and properly investigated.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: ‘Burglars get away with it while victims are denied justice.’
“The Conservative Party has lost control of crime because the Home Secretary is only interested in PR stunts and headlines instead of doing the heavy lifting, tackling crime gangs who sow fear in local communities.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: ‘We welcome recent Crime Survey figures for England and Wales which show burglaries are down 34% since December 2019.
“The Home Secretary has made it clear to police chiefs that the forces must attend to all domestic burglaries. We support the commitment of the forces to keep this commitment and expect them to implement it as soon as possible.