Police forces across England and Wales are abandoning investigations into almost four crimes every single minute, according to stark new official data. The figures reveal a justice system under immense strain, with millions of victims seeing their cases closed without anyone being held to account.
A Tide of Unsolved Crimes
The statistics for the year to June show a deeply troubling picture. Out of 5.3 million crimes recorded, a staggering 2,040,976 offences were closed with no suspect ever identified. This equates to 5,592 such cases daily, or roughly 3.8 every minute. Overall, 38.6% of all logged crimes were filed as 'investigation complete – no suspect identified'.
The likelihood of a crime resulting in a charge remains alarmingly low for serious offences. Only 3% of reported rapes led to a suspect being charged. The rates were marginally higher for other categories: 6.3% for 'violence against the person', 8.1% for robbery, and 7.6% for theft. For the invasive crime of house burglary, the charge rate was a mere 4.8%.
Evidential Hurdles and Victim Withdrawal
The data highlights other significant roadblocks to justice. A further 679,802 cases were dropped due to 'evidential difficulties', despite the victim's desire to pursue action. In another 1.3 million instances, investigations were terminated because the victims withdrew their support for the police inquiry.
In total, only 402,692 reported crimes resulted in a charge or court summons. This represents just 7.6% of all crimes recorded. While this marks a slight increase from 6.7% the previous year, it remains drastically below the 15% rate seen a decade ago. The charge rate has crept up from a low of 5.4% in 2022.
This performance gap persists despite recent boosts in officer numbers. Police recruitment drives saw full-time equivalent officers hit a record 147,745 in March 2024, but the total has since fallen by more than 1,300.
Reforms, Resolutions, and Political Reactions
In response to these figures, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is preparing to unveil major plans to overhaul police forces. Reports suggest she intends to reduce the 43 regional forces in England and Wales to just 12, having previously labelled the current structure as 'irrational'.
Mahmood has also directed senior officers that 'perfectly legal' remarks made online should not be investigated, addressing concerns that politically motivated complaints are stifling free speech. The Home Office has concurrently announced a £798 million increase in police budgets for the next financial year, taking the total to £19.5 billion.
The analysis also uncovered a rise in the use of informal 'community resolutions'. Nearly 161,000 offenders received this 'slap on the wrist' outcome, which involves admitting the crime and potentially apologising, paying damages, or doing unpaid work. These resolutions were used in 3% of reported crimes, up from 2.4% two years earlier.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp criticised the figures, stating: 'The police are not solving enough crimes. They should use technology such as facial recognition and geo-tracking to bring more perpetrators to justice.' He linked the low charge rates to falling officer numbers under the current government.
A National Police Chiefs' Council spokesman defended police work, stating: 'Every crime reported to police is assessed... and where possible all lines of inquiry will be followed.' They emphasised that not every case meets the legal threshold for charge, but assured the public that all reasonable lines of inquiry are pursued to seek justice where evidence allows.
