Figures have revealed that a staggering number of car thefts go unsolved in Coventry and the West Midlands. Around 75 per cent of incidents do not lead to a person being prosecuted.
Research by the Liberal Democrats found that 24,837 car thefts went unsolved in just a three-month period last year across England. It means that 78.5 per cent, or nearly four in five of the 31,654 thefts that took place, were unsolved.
Only 2.4 per cent of West Midlands Policeinvestigations resulted in someone being charged or summonsed. Over in Warwickshire, 280 vehicle thefts were reported, but just seven people were charged.
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London ranked the worst, with the Metropolitan Police failing to solve 90 per cent of all reported car thefts, the Liberal Democrats said. Next was South Yorkshire, where 85 per cent of thefts went unsolved, followed by Essex, Wiltshire, Sussex, and Hertfordshire, where at least 80 per cent of car thefts were unsolved in the quarter ending June 2024.
West Midlands comes in at just over 75 per cent while Warwickshire sees around 77 per cent of investigations going unsolved. MPs for the Liberal Democrats called on Labour to restore community policing.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer set a target to deliver 13,000 additional officers and PCSOs in England and Wales. A named officer has been promised for every neighbourhood to help tackle crime, reports the Daily Mirror.
Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart said: “Tens of thousands of victims across England and Wales are being left without the justice they deserve with a staggeringly high number of car thefts going unsolved and thieves getting away scot-free.”
She added: “Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately, after brutal cuts to community police officers, that is far from the truth. We urge Labour to change the course by getting tough on crime, investing properly in local neighbourhood policing, and keeping communities safe.”
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