78% of all burglaries in the West Midlands go unsolved
A staggering 78% of burglaries went unsolved in the West Midlands in the 2022/2023 financial year - an average of 47 a day, new analysis has revealed.
The figures, from official Home Office statistics, show that in 2022/2023, a total of 17,138 burglaries in the West Midlands were closed without a suspect being identified, accounting for 78% of all cases. Meanwhile, just 5% of West Midlands burglaries resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.
The national figures paint a similarly dire picture. Across England and Wales, nearly 77% of all burglaries went unsolved in that same time period.
Birmingham Liberal Democrats have slammed the Government for these figures. Since 2015, the Conservatives have taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets. And as of last year, just 12% of officers across England and Wales were assigned to frontline neighbourhood policing teams.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are trusted and visible in their neighbourhoods, with the time and resources to focus on tackling local crimes like burglaries. The party is also calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.
Commenting, Perry Barr Councillor and 2021 Liberal Democrat Police Crime Commissioner Candidate Jon Hunt said:
“Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their own homes. But under this terrible Government, so many burglars are getting off scot-free. These figures will bring little comfort to families and pensioners in the West Midlands.
“It’s a disgrace that our local communities are paying the price for the Conservative Government’s failures to get tough on burglaries.
“The Government must finally bring back proper community policing and back the Liberal Democrats Burglary Response Guarantee so all burglaries are attended by the police. It’s the only way to reverse these shocking figures.”