A staggering 213,279 burglaries went unsolved across England and Wales in the 2022/2023 financial year – an average of 584 a day, new analysis by the Liberal Democrats of Home Office statistics released last week has revealed.

The figures show that in 2022/2023, a grand total of 213,279 burglary investigations across England and Wales were closed without a suspect being identified, accounting for 76.8% of all cases.

The South Yorkshire force recorded the worst outcomes, with a staggering 84.4% of all recorded burglaries going unsolved. They were followed closely by Hampshire Police (83.1%) and the Met (81.6%).

The Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for these figures, arguing that years of putting resources in the wrong places has decimated community policing.

Since 2015, the Conservatives have taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets. And as of last year, just 12% of officers across England and Wales were assigned to frontline neighbourhood policing teams.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are trusted and visible in their neighbourhoods, with the time and resources to focus on tackling local crimes including burglaries.

The party is also calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Home Affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael MP said:

Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their own homes. But knowing that so many burglars are getting off scot-free will bring little comfort to our communities.

Make no mistake, these are the consequences of the Conservatives constantly sidelining frontline policing.

Enough is enough. The Home Secretary must finally restore proper community policing and implement a Burglary Response Guarantee. It’s the only way to reverse these criminally bad figures.