08 January 2020
Car crime
The telegraph report the chances of police catching and successfully prosecuting car thieves has fallen almost five-fold in just two years, an analysis of force data reveals. Only one in 400 (0.25 per cent) vehicle crimes where the offenders broke into or stole them resulted in jail, a fine, community sentence or caution in 2019.
In most, the case was closed without a suspect being identified. That compares with 1.1 per cent of the 458,500 vehicle crimes in 2017 which resulted in convictions or sentences and 0.8 per cent of the 467,800 offences in 2018. Police leaders said fewer officers meant forces were slower at responding to “lower priority offences” like car crime where no-one was injured.
