Car thievesNews escape justice

6% OF OFFENCES END IN CHARGE OR COURT SUMMONS

CAR thieves evaded justice in the vast majority of cases investigated by police last year, according to new Home Office data.

A total of 84 of 1,400 cases in Leicestershire – 6 per cent – resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed to court.

That figure was worse than the force’s performance in 2020 when almost 9 per cent of cases reached that stage. In 2016, the proportion of cases which resulted in a charge or court summons was almost 12 per cent.

Across England and Wales, forces investigated 100,477 vehicle thefts in 2021, of which 3,914, or 3.9 per cent, resulted in a charge or summons.

Steve Gooding, of the RAC Foundation said: “Car theft is far more than a minor inconvenience to those who lose a valuable asset.

“While insurers might eventually cover the cost of a stolen vehicle, all of us will eventually pay the price through higher premiums.

“These thieves need to see the police taking this sort of offence seriously or else they will believe that the reward outweighs the risk.”

Jack Cousens, spokesman for AA Insurance Services, said: “Unless some form of forensic evidence was left behind or good CCTV footage, officers simply don’t have the ability to investigate further.”

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said vehicle theft was linked to organised crime and forces were putting more resources into tackling it.

A Home Office spokesman said: “The government is supporting the police to tackle crime by putting 20,000 additional police officers into the areas most affected, investing in proven prevention measures like street lighting, CCTV, number plate recognition technology and secure parking.”