Nearly 6,000 crimes went unsolved every day last year

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the previous Conservative government’s “legacy of failure” as new statistics reveal the extent of unsolved crime in the year ending June 2024. 

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

2,156,075 crimes went unsolved across England and Wales in the year ending June 2024, equivalent to 5,907 crimes going unsolved every day. Ths accounted for 40% of all crimes recorded that year. 

Meanwhile, just 361,328 cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed - accounting for less than 7% of all cases. 

The number of unsolved crimes have remained consistently high for a number of years, with 2,159,583 cases going unsolved in the year ending June 2023.

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the previous 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 their decision to take more than 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015.

The party is calling on the new government to urgently deliver 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 Lisa Smart MP said: 

“This is the Conservative’s legacy of failure on crime. Thousands of victims left without the justice they deserve every single day, thanks to years of Conservative incompetence and neglect.

“Things cannot continue like this. Our communities deserve to feel safe - and that includes being confident that if you’re the victim of a crime, the police will turn up and properly investigate. 

“Now, the government needs to deliver the change they have promised - and Liberal Democrats will be pushing for a return to proper community policing, keeping our neighbourhoods safe and reducing crime with more bobbies out on the beat.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Figures on crime outcomes are available at: Home Office, ‘Crime outcomes year to June 2024: data tables’, Table 1.1. 

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