Liberal Democrats call for action as shocking figures show 70% of burglaries in West Mercia are going unsolved

Home Office statistics reveal that a whopping 71% burglaries went unsolved across West Mercia in the year ending June 2023.

This is equivalent to 10 burglaries going unsolved in every single day.

Meanwhile, just 303 cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed in the same time period - a mere 6% of all burglaries in West Mercia.

The national figures paint a similarly dire picture. 76% of all burglaries across England and Wales went unsolved in the year ending June 2023, while just 6% of cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.

Local Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for these figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing have left local forces overstretched and unable to focus on crimes like burglaries.

The party is calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee,” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.

This would be accompanied by a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire Dan Boatright-Greene said:

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and confident that, if they are burgled, the criminal will swiftly face justice. It’s hard for people to feel that confidence, thanks to these shocking figures.

“I have been very disappointed in the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner’s response to our questions on this issue. Just last week, at a county council meeting, he assured me that there are plenty of resources in the system, an adequate number of officers and no shortage of vehicles for them to patrol the area.”

“And yet I have already had conversations with police officers where they have been unable to attend calls precisely because of a lack of vehicles. I have had residents contact me to say a police officer could not come to speak to them after a burglary. Yet again, the Conservatives are failing even to get the basics right on cutting crime. It’s a shame that our communities are paying the price.”