Just 2% of car thefts end in a suspect being charged, shock figures reveal

According to shocking figures, only 2 percent of car thefts lead to a prosecution of a suspect.

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

MPs said last night that the data from the House of Commons library left them wondering whether car theft had been ‘decriminalised’. It led to accusations that the police spend too much time promoting ‘woke’ cases and checking comments on the internet instead of fighting crime at street level.

The analysis shows that of the more than 97,000 car thefts in the first nine months of last year – according to the most recent data available – just over 2 percent (2,220) led to criminal charges.

Up to a further 27 percent faced sanctions such as warnings, which are seen as softer sentences because they do not involve court attendance or prison sentences.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey (pictured) said: ‘These shocking figures have made people wonder whether car theft has been decriminalized.’

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

The most stolen cars of 2022 REVEALED

Britain’s most owned car is also the most stolen, with Ford Fiesta thefts increasing by 53% by 2022.

Figures from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) show that 5,979 Fiestas were reported stolen last year, compared to 3,909 in 2021. This means a criminal makes off with an average of every 88 minutes.

The figures also suggest that thieves continue to target high-end engines, with Range Rovers taking second place in the number of vehicles stolen last year.

In fact, in 2022 there was a 47% increase in the number of expensive SUVs illegally taken from their rightful owners compared to the previous year, while Land Rover Discovery thefts also increased by more than half.

Read more: Check out the full list of last year’s top 10 most stolen cars

The survey, 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 troops in England and Wales, as well as Britain’s Transport Police.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: ‘These shocking figures will make people wonder if car theft has been decriminalised. This is a disgraceful failure.

“The Minister of the Interior is asleep behind the wheel. People wake up to find that their car is gone and the police are too overworked to actually catch the criminal.

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

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

“Instead, the government has reduced the number of local police officers, which only benefits the criminals.”

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

“They are not interested in the so-called waking worries and investigations that some troops seem to be conducting.”

The worst performing police forces in 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 for 8,787 of those, with 81 per cent remaining unsolved. Only 1 percent charged a suspect.

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

Mr Davey accused Home Secretary Suella Braverman (pictured) of ‘sleeping behind the wheel’

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

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

An increase in auto theft, particularly in suburban communities, has also been fueled by the move to keyless vehicles.

Gangs use relatively cheap equipment to redirect signals from key fobs in motorists’ homes to cars, unlocking the doors.

Separate figures show that in three years, police have failed to solve a single burglary in nearly half of the country’s neighborhoods.

It comes after a series of incidents in which the police were criticized for taking on ‘wake’ causes.

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “Vehicle-related crime has fallen by 18 percent since December 2019, but we are committed to further reducing it.

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