275 car thefts a day went unsolved by police last year

2 May 2023

Figures reveal “car theft epidemic” with almost four in five car thefts last year going unsolved
Just one in thirty (3.4%) car thefts resulted in a suspect being charged
Ed Davey warns the government is “effectively decriminalising car theft” by letting criminal gangs get away with it.

A staggering four in five car thefts went unsolved last year, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Meanwhile, just 3.4% of car thefts - or one in thirty - resulted in a charge or summons.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey warned that the government is overseeing a “car theft epidemic”, as criminals act with impunity while victims are denied justice.

The analysis, based on the latest Home Office statistics on crime outcomes, showed that, across England and Wales, a grand total of 100,258 car theft cases were closed in 2022 without a suspect even being identified - equivalent to nearly 275 car thefts going unsolved every day. It follows previous research by the party that showed that police failed to even attend 3 in 4 car thefts last year.

The Metropolitan Police, West Midlands, South Yorkshire and Essex were among the worst performing police forces, all reporting more than 80% car thefts as unsolved. The Met topped the list, with 87.2% of car thefts going unsolved.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing - where officers are visible and trusted, with the time and resources to focus on preventing and solving crimes. Since 2015, the Conservatives have also taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets.

Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“There is a car theft epidemic across the country, which Conservative ministers are totally failing to tackle. Criminal gangs are being allowed to act with impunity while victims are denied justice. The Government is effectively decriminalising car theft by letting these gangs get away with it.

“People just want to know that if their car is stolen or house broken into, the police will turn up and properly investigate it. But this Conservative government has decimated community policing, leaving victims of crime to fend for themselves.

“The Liberal Democrats want to see a return to proper community policing, making our streets safer and ending this free-for-all for criminals.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor

Full analysis including a breakdown by force is available here.

Data taken from Home Office: Police recorded crime outcomes open data tables

Previous research on police attendance for car thefts is available here. This data was uncovered by an FOI to all 45 police forces in the UK.