Vast majority of burglaries and car thefts remain unsolved, Home Office data shows

Three-quarters of burglaries and car thefts are going unsolved, despite pledges by police to visit the scene of every house break-in, new analysis shows.

Some 880 cases of the two crimes have been going unsolved, without a suspect being identified every day in 2022/23, up 10 per cent on the previous year, according to Home Office data.

That is despite a commitment by all 43 police forces in England and Wales to visit the scene of every house burglary and to pursue all lines of enquiry.

The figures, analysed by the Liberal Democrats, showed that 214,076 burglaries went unsolved across England and Wales in the year ending June 2023 - up 6% from the previous year.

Three in four (76 per cent) of all burglaries went unsolved in the year to June, and only six per cent of burglaries resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.

For car theft, 107,451 offences were closed without a suspect being identified in the year ending June 2023,  up 20 per cent from the previous year.

It means that over three in four (77 per cent) of car thefts went unsolved in that period. Just four per cent of car thefts resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.

Overall, 2,159,583 cases across all crimes were closed without a suspect being identified in England and Wales in the year to June - a 10 per cent increase from the previous year. That is equivalent to 5,916 crimes going unsolved every single day.

South Yorkshire had the highest rate of unsolved burglaries, with 84 per cent of all cases closed without a suspect being identified. Hampshire and Surrey followed closely behind, each with 82 per cent of burglary cases going unsolved.

The Metropolitan Police had the worst record for car thefts, with 86 per cent going unsolved. South Yorkshire and Essex also both saw 83 per cent of car thefts going unsolved.

The Liberal Democrats published the data in support of its call for a new “burglary response guarantee” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by officers and “properly investigated.”

Alistair Carmichael, the LibDems’ spokesman on home affairs, said: “Thousands of victims are being cruelly denied justice and left feeling unsafe in their own home, as criminals get let off the hook every day. Yet, the Home Secretary seems to be asleep at the wheel as our communities pay the price.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Home Secretary has been clear that she wants forces to take a zero tolerance approach to crime and get the basics right. She secured a commitment from the police to attend the scene of every home burglary, which is now happening across the country, as well as to pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry to ensure more crimes are solved and public confidence is improved.”