Lib Dems call on Labour Govt to rule out real-terms policing budget cuts as unsolved vehicle theft epidemic continues

EMBARGO: 22:30 5th June 2025

• Shock new data crunched by the Liberal Democrats reveals that last year, more than 75% of vehicle thefts went unsolved while just 2% of cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.
• 13 police forces in England and Wales had at least 75% of all vehicle theft cases unsolved in 2024.
• This follows speculation that police funding will face real-terms cuts in next week’s Spending Review, which has been condemned by police chiefs across the country.
• The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to keep their promises on neighbourhood policing by ruling out real-terms cuts to policing budgets ahead of the Spending Review.

House of Commons library analysis of official Home Office data on crime outcomes, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, shows a vehicle theft epidemic with the offence becoming ‘effectively decriminalised’. Almost 95,000 cases went unsolved last year.

The City of London force came out worst, with none of its 30 cases last year ending with a suspect being charged. The Metropolitan police followed suit, with only 0.85% of all vehicle theft cases ending with a charge.

Leicestershire police force had a similarly worrying performance last year, with only 1.0% of all cases of vehicle theft ending with a charge. South Yorkshire reported that only 1.2% of cases were charged.

Derbyshire, Gwent and West Yorkshire also all reported that their cases in total had less than a 1.5% of cases ending with a charge.

These shocking figures come after several police chiefs have warned the Labour government that they will not be able to deliver their promises on bolstering neighbourhood policing or halving knife crime and violence against women and girls without proper investment.

The Liberal Democrats are urging the Government to rule out any cuts to policing budgets, following speculation that the Home Office will face real-terms cuts at the upcoming Spending Review.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“Vehicle crime has now been effectively decriminalised, with tens of thousands of victims being denied the justice they deserve as criminals get away scot free.

“Our communities deserve so much better than this - so it beggars belief that the Government is now toying with the idea of cutting police funding. It’s not just reckless, it’s dangerous.

“If this Government is serious about keeping their promises on neighbourhood policing, they must not make the same mistakes as the last Conservative one. That means finally giving police forces the resources they need to get tough on crime - and urgently ruling out any real-terms cuts to policing budgets.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The letter to the government from police chiefs was first reported in The Times.

Data on vehicle theft in 2024 can be found here.