Now police solve just 1 in 12 crimes

POLICE last night stood accused of giving up on crime after a dramatic fall in the proportion of suspects brought before the courts.

Only 7.8 per cent of crimes, less than one in 12, ended up with a charge or summons, official figures revealed – down from 17.2 per cent only five years ago.

It means hundreds of thousands of criminals – including killers, rapists, violent thugs, burglars and drug dealers – are avoiding justice. Just 1.5 per cent of rape complaints resulted in a charge. The figures will add to fears of rising lawlessness in ‘Wild West Britain’.

Of 4.8million crimes processed in England and Wales in the year to March, only 403,200 suspects were ordered to attend court.

And an alarming 44 per cent of crimes were written off as ‘no suspect identified’ – meaning 2.3million offenders escaped scot-free, according to Home Office statistics.

Critics said the statistics, slipped out by the Home Office during a blizzard of reports yesterday, gave criminals a ‘green light’ to offend.

David Spencer, of the Centre For Crime Prevention think-tank, said: ‘It is staggering, yet somehow not massively surprising, that police are managing to solve so few crimes. While resources are stretched and many of those criminals that are arrested get let off with a slap on the wrist, there is a mounting sense that the police have given up on solving real crimes and are instead more interested in things like offensive online comments.’

He said the figures bring ‘shame on the police, the Home Office, and the entire British law enforcement community. They have a basic duty to protect the public and they are failing in that task.’

Harry Fletcher, of the Victims’ Rights Campaign, said: ‘This is an appalling message for victims and a green light for criminals.

‘ These conviction figures are clearly related to cuts in the police, prosecutors and the rest of the criminal justice system, made worse by the reluctance of witnesses to attend court. Public confidence in justice is collapsing.’

Separate figures showed crime reported to the police had risen to a 15-year high of 5.9million.

Violent crimes in England and Wales rose by 20 per cent to 1.6million, the highest since the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced in April 2002.

Knife crime soared eight per cent to 43,500 excluding Greater Manchester – which records its figures differently – so the grim toll is actually even higher.

While much of it was concentrated in the capital and other major cities, four out of five forces reported an increase. Suffolk saw knife attacks rise 51 per cent in a single year, Dyfed-Powys saw a 45 per cent increase, Lancashire was up 33 per cent, while in North Yorkshire cases were up by 31 per cent.

Sex attacks hit a new high of 162,030 – an increase of seven per cent, with rapes rising by nine per cent to 58,657. The Office for National Statistics attributed part of the rise on victims emboldened to come forward and police taking cases more seriously.

Robberies increased 11 per cent to 85,736 and fraud rocketed 17 per cent, driven by cyber swindles involving stolen bank and credit card details.

Figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales, which looks at people’s experiences of crime and includes incidents not reported to police, found crimes increased four per cent to 11.2million.

The statistics are likely to further damage public faith in the police. A report earlier this year found victims can expect little or no investigation or a visit from an officer unless they can supply evidence or name a suspect – meaning thousands of criminals can act with impunity.

Police chiefs have warned ministers that forces are struggling to cope following cuts to funding. As of March 2019 there were 123,171 officers, up from 122,405 the previous year.

However, there are still 20,500 fewer than there were in 2010.

Boris Johnson, frontrunner to become the next Tory leader, has pledged to recruit 20,000 extra officers and toughen sentencing.

Chief Constable Andy Cooke, the National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman for crime, said: ‘Greater confidence to report crime and changes to crime recording contribute to some of the increases but many are real rises.

‘Too few crimes are being solved and brought to court.

Police Minister Nick Hurd said: ‘While the chances of being a victim of crime remain low, we are deeply concerned that certain offences, including serious violence, have increased and we are taking urgent action.’

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show the cost of serial offenders is £18billion a year. The total includes the hit to victims, as well as the costs of the police, courts and probation system.

‘Public confidence is collapsing’