Only 2% of car thefts end with a suspect being charged, shocking numbers show

According to shocking figures, only 2 percent of car thefts result in a suspect being charged.

Analysis shows that more than 70 per cent of thefts also remain unsolved in communities across England and Wales.

MPs said last night the data from the House of Commons library had them wondering if car theft had been “decriminalised”. It sparked accusations that police spend too much time promoting “woke” causes and monitoring comments online instead of fighting street crime.

The analysis shows that of more than 97,000 car thefts in the first nine months of last year – the most recent data available – just over 2 percent (2,220) resulted in criminals being charged.

Up to a further 27 percent faced sanctions such as warnings, which are considered lighter penalties as they do not involve participation in court or prison.

However, no suspects were identified in 68,800 cases, meaning 71 per cent of car thefts across England and Wales between January 1 and September 30 last year went unsolved.

The inquiry, commissioned by the Liberal Democrats, provides one of the most detailed pictures yet of how police are dealing with the scourge of car theft, as the figures include all 43 armed forces in England and Wales plus Britain’s Transport Police.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “These shocking figures will have people wondering whether car theft has been decriminalised. This is an outrageous failure.

‘The Home Secretary is asleep at the wheel. People wake up to find their car gone and the police are too overwhelmed to actually catch the criminal.

“These thieves who have brought misery to communities across the country must be caught and punished.

“We need more police officers to deal with these crimes that go unsolved.

“Instead, the government has cut the number of municipal officers, which only benefits the criminals.”

Tory MP Peter Bone said: “What people want to see is the police investigating crimes like burglary, car theft and vandalism.

“They don’t care about the so-called aroused concerns and investigations that some military forces appear to be conducting.”

The worst performing police forces for the first three quarters of last year were Essex, South Yorkshire and West Midlands.

10,784 car thefts were recorded in the West Midlands, but no suspect was identified in 8,787 of these, with 81 per cent remaining unsolved. Only 1 percent resulted in a suspect being charged.

In South Yorkshire, 3,858 were registered but no suspect was identified for 3,138, with 81 per cent remaining unsolved.

3,746 car thefts were recorded in Essex but no suspect was identified in 3,025, meaning 81 per cent remained unsolved.

Only 2 percent resulted in a suspect being charged. The best performing force was the Devon and Cornwall Police, where only 13 per cent of car thefts went unsolved. But only 5 percent of the suspects were charged.

A rise in car thefts, particularly in suburban communities, has also been fueled by the shift to keyless vehicles.

Gangs use relatively inexpensive devices to reroute signals from key fobs in motorists’ homes into cars and unlock the doors.

Separate figures show that over a three-year period, police forces failed to solve a single break-in in almost half the country’s neighborhoods.

It comes after a series of incidents in which police have been criticized for targeting “woke” causes.

A Home Office spokesman said: “Vehicle crime has fallen by 18 per cent since December 2019 but we are committed to bringing it down further.

“We are supporting the police by providing funds for crime prevention measures, including better street lighting and CCTV, providing 20,000 additional officers and equipping the police with better technology to catch more criminals.”