Police are ‘going soft’ on car crime

OVER-STRETCHED police forces have been accused of ‘going soft’ on car theft as stolen vehicle numbers have soared.

Just 1,107 cases went to court last year, of which just over half resulted in a conviction, the Ministry of Justice said. This was down from 1,223 cases in 2017.

Meanwhile the number of vehicles reported stolen rose by 8.8 per cent from 103,493 in 2017 to 113,037 last year, the Office for National Statistics said.

The AA’s Jack Cousens said: ‘With fewer officers on the beat... forces have had little choice but to go soft on vehicle theft.’ He suggested catching car thieves might benefit wider police work as stolen cars can often fund other crimes.