Home Money Police failed to solve three out of four car thefts last year and just 2% of cases involved a suspect being charged, figures reveal

Police failed to solve three out of four car thefts last year and just 2% of cases involved a suspect being charged, figures reveal

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Three in four car thefts went unsolved last year, figures revealed yesterday (Stock Photo)

Three in four car thefts went unsolved last year, figures revealed yesterday.

Data shared with the Daily Mail showed police failed to get to the bottom of more than 100,000 cases of stolen motor vehicles in England and Wales in the year ending last September.

And only 2 per cent resulted in a suspect being charged or summoned, according to House of Commons Library analysis commissioned by the Liberal Democrats.

Three in four car thefts went unsolved last year, figures revealed yesterday (Stock Photo)

Amid rising vehicle theft numbers, data shows unsolved cases increased 7 percent from the previous year.

About 76 percent of motor vehicle thefts remained unsolved in both the year ending September 2022 and the year ending September 2023.

London's Metropolitan Police had the worst results: 86 percent of car thefts remained unsolved (File photo)

London’s Metropolitan Police had the worst results: 86 percent of car thefts remained unsolved (File photo)

London’s Metropolitan Police fared worst, with 86 per cent of car thefts unsolved, while Essex and South Yorkshire followed closely behind.

The Liberal Democrats blamed years of “ineffective resourcing” for leaving police forces overstretched and unable to focus on frontline crime.

Although the Government recruited 20,000 additional police officers in the last three years, the number dedicated to neighborhood policing is 10 percent lower than in 2012.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to “proper community policing”, with officers focused on tackling crimes such as car theft.

The party’s home affairs spokesman, Alistair Carmichael, said: “It is not surprising that car theft is on the rise, given that thieves can act with virtually no consequences.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Vehicle crime has decreased by 39 per cent since 2010.”

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