92% of crime cases closed with no charge

POLICE chiefs are under pressure after a report found investigations are taking nearly three times as long as a decade ago - with just 7.3% leading to action.

- BY AARON NEWBURY

The Social Market Foundation think-tank said cases took 41 days in 2024/5 - up 193% on the 14 days in 2014/5. In 2013/4 some 17.2% of those inquiries resulted in charges or a summons.

The collapse in results in England and Wales came as officer numbers increased - but the growth in crime outstripped recruitment, with each officer handling 44% more cases than 10 years earlier.

Nine in 10 police forces were rated mediocre or worse for their ability to solve cases. The foundation claimed poor leadership is a major factor, with officers overwhelmed, poorly supported and struggling to catch criminals and secure convictions.