Nearly 6,000 crimes went unsolved every day in 2023

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservative Government of overseeing an “unsolved crime epidemic” as new statistics reveal that more than 2 million crimes went unsolved in 2023, or 5,993 crimes on average every single day. 

The figures were revealed by the Home Office’s own statistics on crime outcomes, released this morning. 

Across England and Wales, a grand total of 2,187,300 crimes went unsolved in 2023 - up 4.6% from 2022, where 2,091,699 crimes went unsolved overall. 

In contrast, 5,387,468 crimes were recorded in 2023 - meaning that 40%, or 2 out of every 5 crimes, went unsolved last year. This is compared to 38% of all crimes recorded in 2022 going unsolved. 

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for these figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing at their hands have left frontline police overstretched, under-resourced and unable to focus on solving crime.

This includes taking over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015. 

The party is calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible and trusted, with the time and resources to focus on solving the crimes that impact local communities the most. 

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said: 

“Under this Government, criminals are getting let off scot-free. Every day, the unsolved crime epidemic gets worse as burglaries go unsolved, car thefts get left by the wayside and community policing gets decimated. 

“Year on year, we see the Conservatives' record on crime become more of a disgrace and it’s the British people who are paying the price. 

“These incompetent, out-of-touch Conservative politicians have failed time and again to tackle crime. It’s time to have a General Election and kick them out of office.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Figures on crime outcomes are available at: Home Office, ‘Crime outcomes year to December 2023: data tables’. 

Data on PCSO workforces is available at: Home Office, ‘Police workforce, England and Wales, 30 September 2023: data tables’, Table 3.