Ninety-five per cent of bike theft is left unsolved

More bike thefts in Sussex were closed without police identifying a suspect than almost anywhere else in England and Wales last year, figures reveal.

They were among more than one million unsolved cases of theft across England and Wales, which charity Victim Support said undermines the public's confidence in the justice system.

Home Office figures show Sussex Police closed 31,015 theft probes in 2021 – 81% of which had the outcome "investigation complete – no suspect identified". This was up from 78% in 2020.

Of the 2,063 bicycle thefts in the area, 95% were unsolved – the joint-highest nationally, excluding the City of London which has a low resident population.

This compared to an average of 90% across all 42 police forces, and 66% in Cumbria.

A further 6% of all theft cases in Sussex closed with a suspect identified and the victim supporting an investigation but "evidential difficulties prevented further action", while 7% were closed because the victim dropped the case.

And just 4% resulted in a charge or summons – in line with the year before.

Across England and Wales, one million theft offences were closed without a suspect being found – 77% of all cases. In London, this was as high as 87%, while in Norfolk it was 57%.

Victim Support said theft can have serious and longterm impacts on victims – robbing them of both their possessions and their sense of safety.

Jeffrey DeMarco, assistant director at the independent charity, added, “The fact that a million cases went unsolved last year seriously undermines victims’ confidence in the criminal justice system.

“Theft is a crime that must always be taken seriously by the police, and work must be undertaken to improve these shockingly low success rates.”

More than three-quarters of car theft cases and nine in 10 bike thefts were closed without a suspect being identified in 2021. In Sussex, 76% of cases of stolen motor vehicles were closed with no suspects identified.

The National Police Chiefs' Council said forces will prioritise cases where there is a realistic prospect of prosecution, and ensure vulnerable victims have the support they need.