Shocking new figures have revealed a “vehicle crime epidemic,” with over 140,000 car and bike thefts going unsolved by police last year.
More than three quarters (77,318) of car theft cases and nine in ten (63,481) bike theft cases were closed without the identification of a suspect.
The Liberal Democrats said the figures showed the Conservatives were soft on crime and are letting criminals get away with stealing vehicles on an “industrial scale.” The party is calling for more investment in community policing, ahead of the local elections on Thursday.
These figures also show a dramatic drop in vehicle theft cases, which has led to criminals being charged. Only 1.8% of bicycle thefts in 2021 resulted in someone getting charged, compared to 2.5% in 2017. Just 3.9% of car thefts were reported in 2021, compared to 6.8% five year ago.
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Liberal Democrats’ analysis of new Home Office statistics shows that police have closed 806,288 vehicle-theft cases without identifying the suspect in five years.
The Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police were both the worst at solving car theft cases last year, with 99% of cases not solved. For the highest percentage of bike thefts unsolved, Sussex Police joined the two forces at 95%.
Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said in light of the new statistics: “These shocking figures show criminals are getting away with stealing cars and bikes on an industrial scale. It is a serious problem that has decimated communities all over the country.
“It shows the Conservatives are soft on crime and soft on criminals.
“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on cutting crime. The government should give the forces the resources they need in order to investigate every crime.
“We must reverse years of Conservative neglect that have made our communities less safe and let far too many criminals get away with it.”
The party believes there should be a return of community policing where officers are more visible and trusted by local people.
They also urge a reverse to youth service cuts by investing an extra £500 million a year via a ring-fenced fund to Local Authorities
The Lib Dems also say police and crime Commissioners ought to be scrapped and the £50 million savings to invest in frontline policing and solving crimes.
Politics.co.uk reached the Home Office to obtain comment.
