Over 5,700 crimes went unsolved every day last year

EMBARGO: Immediate Release

The Liberal Democrats are renewing their calls on the Government to scrap Police and Crime Commissioners and invest the savings in frontline policing instead, as new statistics reveal the extent of unsolved crime in the year ending December 2024.

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

A staggering 2,087,765 crimes went unsolved across England and Wales in 2024 - equivalent to 5,719 crimes going unsolved every day. This accounted for 39% of all crimes recorded last year.

Meanwhile, just 370,538 crimes resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed - accounting for less than 7% of cases.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for Police and Crime Commissioners to be scrapped so the savings can be invested in frontline policing instead, enabling a return to proper community policing with more bobbies on the beat. 

The party would replace PCCs with local Police Boards made up of councillors and representatives from relevant local groups, which would be properly accountable to the communities they serve, at a fraction of the cost of PCCs.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Lisa Smart MP said:

“It is completely scandalous that every single day, thousands of victims are denied the justice they deserve.

“This is the Conservative’s legacy of failure of crime. Every community should feel safe, and that means that if they are a victim of a crime, they can be confident that they will get the support they need.

“The Government cannot afford to dither and delay, they must crack down on unsolved crimes. This starts with a return to real community policing, to keep our neighbourhoods safe.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

Figures on crime outcomes are available at Home Office, Crime outcomes year to December 2024, Table 1.1