Data gives evidence of bungled investigations

STATS SHOW HUNDREDS OF CRIMINAL CASES UNABLE TO PROGRESS

- RICHARD GUTTRIDGE News Reporter

FOUR murder cases in the West Midlands collapsed in the last few years because of lost, damaged or missing evidence as families were denied justice amid bungled investigations.

New data has revealed how hundreds of criminal cases were unable to progress due to issues with the evidence.

In the West Midlands, this included four murder cases and 11 involving sexual offences.

An investigation by the BBC Shared Data Unit found it is a growing problem, with a higher proportion of cases failing to result in a conviction because of lost or missing evidence each year since 2020.

Experts blamed a number of factors including: the closure of the Forensic Science Service in 2012; a lack of scrutiny over evidence retention; the growth in digital evidence and increasing demands on police storage space; fears over police budgets and resources; and a wave of inexperienced police recruits resulting in more items being lost or mishandled at local forces.

In the West Midlands, a total of 582 criminal cases collapsed in the two years to September 2024 for evidence-related reasons.