UK: Half of Crimes Solved by Police Result in No Charges

Facts

• An analysis by The Telegraph has found that only 51.8% of solved crimes in the UK resulted in charges against the offender in 2022-2023, down from a 63.7% charge rate from 2015-2016 — when data was first recorded.¹
• This news follows data released last week from the Home Office, which showed that only 5.7% of crimes committed in England and Wales resulted in a charge or summons since April 2022.²
• More offenses are resulting in alternative diversions, such as community resolutions where the offender apologizes to the victim and sometimes agrees to pay compensation in exchange for an admission of guilt. Community resolutions have risen to 27.2% in 2022-2023, compared to 13.5% in 2014-2015.¹
• For stalking and harassment, charges dropped from 72.1% to 48.8% from 2014-2015 to 2022-2023, while violence causing injury saw the charge rate drop from 65.7% to 49.6%. The percentage of these offenses resulting in community resolutions also rose from the low-teens to the mid-twenties.¹
• The Ministry of Justice has also announced plans to deal with "inconsistencies" in how minor crimes are dealt with nationwide. The guidance will give police a list of offenses that should and shouldn't be resolved through the caution system, excluding violent and sex crimes from receiving lesser penalties.³
• These revelations have put pressure on the ruling Conservative Party, with the opposition Labour Party calling the Tory record on crime "abysmal." The Conservatives responded by pointing to a 46% drop in violent crime and the 20K new police officers hired over their 13-year rule.⁴

Sources: ¹The Telegraph, ²Independent, ³Yahoo News, and ⁴Metro.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. Over a decade of Tory austerity has gutted the criminal justice system in the UK, as deep cuts to public safety shake the public's trust in the police. The abysmal clearance rate for crimes, and the sharp increase in diversions applied to keep offenders out of a strained court system, are testimony to Conservative mismanagement. They've allowed crime to continue to blight communities across the country.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. Unlike Labour, the Conservatives have a real plan to deal with crime in the UK. Instead of going after people for social media posts or misgendering, the Tories will take the wokeness out of law and order and get police back to work solving real crimes. The UK needs less left-wing virtue signaling and a more tough, back-to-basics approach on crime.