Burglary victims wait two years for justice

Some households in limbo for up to 1,000 days as figures show wide disparity in police forces across UK

Burglary victims face waits of more than two years for justice even if their offence is solved, official figures show. Victims in some areas are having to wait nearly 1,000 days from when they report the offence to the trial being completed in a Crown Court.

The Ministry of Justice data, based on police and court records, reveal wide discrepancies between different force areas with the worst – North Wales – taking 961 days from the offence to court judgment, more than two years.

BURGLARY victims face waits of more than two years for justice even if their offence is solved, official figures show.

Victims in some areas are having to wait nearly 1,000 days from when they report the offence to the trial being completed in a crown court.

The Ministry of Justice data, based on police and court records, reveal wide discrepancies between different force areas with the worst – North Wales – taking 961 days from the offence to court judgment, more than two years.

The best, North Yorkshire, takes 206 days: less than six months.

The data came just days after The Daily Telegraph revealed that police have failed to solve a single burglary in neighbourhoods covering nearly half the country over the past three years.

“It simply cannot be accepted and normalised that victims are expected to wait years to see justice,” said Dame Vera Baird, the victims’ commissioner for England and Wales.

She warned that the delays were undermining public confidence and increasing the proportion of victims either not bothering to report crimes or withdrawing from prosecutions.

“Many would rather sacrifice their chance at justice than risk being further victimised by our justice system,” she said.

The data showed that on average, across all 43 forces in England and Wales, victims of theft and burglary had to wait 433 days in the fourth quarter of last year. This was up 67 per cent on the 259-day average wait faced by victims in the first quarter of 2020.

The worst performers after North Wales were Warwickshire (720 days) central London (645 days), Surrey (601 days) and Essex (528 days). At the other end of the table, North Yorkshire was followed by Cheshire (247 days) and Cambridgeshire (248 days).

There are almost 59,000 cases currently outstanding in the crown courts, of which more than a fifth are more than a year old. The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has pledged to bring it down to between 48,000 and 52,000 by November 2024

“The Moj’s forecasts do not instil confidence and work in this area must be turbocharged – or we risk failing thousands of victims,” said Dame Vera.

The Telegraph revealed earlier this week that of more than 32,000 neighbourhoods analysed, more than 14,000 (46.1 per cent) had seen all their burglary cases in the past three years closed with no suspect caught by police.

Yesterday, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) admitted the data presented a “concerning picture” but said many forces had set up burglary squads to identify and arrest prolific thieves.

In a letter to The Telegraph published today, Deputy Chief Constable Alex Franklin-smith, NPCC lead on burglary, acknowledged burglary was “incredibly invasive and traumatic” but said the number of offences had fallen to an alltime low after investing in prevention.

Home Office ministers and the police inspectorate are urging forces to pledge to visit the scene of all burglaries to gather leads and to support victims.

sir – Your analysis of burglary charge rates (report, June 20) paints a concerning picture, but there is more behind those headline numbers.

Burglaries are at an all-time low, down 51 per cent over the past decade. This is due to increased investment by police and partners in prevention to stop them happening in the first place.

Clearly, having your home invaded is incredibly traumatic, so police will prioritise these cases over those of commercial buildings or outbuildings such as sheds and garages. The figures reported this week include all forms of burglary.

Burglaries are often carried out by prolific offenders and, though there may not be the forensic evidence to catch them for a specific burglary, the intelligence gathered from it can help us to catch them when they are committing other crimes and bring them to justice. This affects the burglary charge rates too.

Many forces now have dedicated burglary teams to identify links between burglaries and find evidence that enables offenders to be charged. We will continue to prioritise preventing burglaries, targeting repeat offenders and organised crime groups, and solving as many burglaries as we are able to.

DCC Alex Franklin-smith

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Burglary

London SW1