'National disgrace'...break-in suspects charged in fewer than 1 in 20 cases

TENS of thousands of people fell victim to burglars last year but just one in 20 cases resulted in criminal charges, despite police promising to attend every reported break-in.

- BY PAUL JEEVES Crime Editor

Thieves raided 100,000 homes and 27,000 sheds or outbuildings in 2024.

Two-thirds of those cases remain “unresolved” — often because a suspect has not been identified or there is insufficient evidence to bring charges.

And less than 5% of reports to police resulted in a suspect being charged.

The figures were branded “a national disgrace” by Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp. He said: “Britain has reached the point where burglary is effectively a consequence-free crime.”

Mr Philp, a Home Office minister until the Tories lost power in July 2024, went on: “The most basic contract between the state and the public is that your home should be safe.

Pickpocket

“Under Labour, that contract has been broken. Criminals can now break into a home knowing that Labour's hollowed-out neighbourhood policing will never catch them. Starmer has torn the front line apart and here are the results in black and white.

“The public want more officers, safer streets and real accountability.

“The Conservatives rebuilt police numbers once, and we will do it again.