Rapists and robbers dodging justice over dire police shortages

JUNIOR police officers tackling complex cases unsupervised is contributing to “chronically low charging rates for rape cases”, police chiefs have warned.

- Jon Austin

They say criminals are evading justice because a dire shortage of detectives is leading to fewer prosecutions. This includes “low charging rates for burglary, theft and robbery”, their report adds.

The shortfall in detectives across the country grew by 27 per cent from 4,974 in 2020 to 6,851 in 2021, the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) and College of Policing (CoP) said, as seasoned officers who retire are not being replaced by experienced juniors.

Chief constables and CoP leaders have laid out the problem in a report to a Home Affairs Select Committee ongoing inquiry into the future of policing.

The proportion of recorded crimes which resulted in charges fell to a low of six per cent in 2021-22, after declining since 2014/15. The report said: “More cases that require specialist skills are being led by junior officers with minimal supervision.”

The average number of days to close cases with a charge or summons has more than tripled, from 14 days to 44 days in four years.

The report explained: “Investigations take longer, which means there are fewer cases ready for charges.