Seven car thefts a day went unsolved by police in the Thames Valley last year

Almost three-quarters of car thefts (73.3%) in the Thames Valley went unsolved in 2022, analysis by the Liberal Democrats has revealed. Meanwhile, just 3.3% resulted in a charge or summons.

The analysis, based on the latest Home Office statistics on crime outcomes, showed that a grand total of 2,667 car theft cases in the Thames Valley were closed in 2022 without a suspect even being identified - equivalent to 7 car thefts going unsolved every day.

It follows previous research from the Liberal Democrats which showed that police failed to even attend 3 in 4 car thefts last year. 

Nationally, just one in thirty (3.4%) car thefts resulted in a suspect being charged. 

Reading’s Liberal Democrats warned that the government is overseeing a “car theft epidemic”, as criminals act with impunity while victims are denied justice.  

The party has slammed the Government for these figures, arguing that years of unnecessary Conservative cuts and putting resources in the wrong places has decimated community policing. Since 2015, the Conservatives have also taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets. 

Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing - where officers are visible and trusted, with the time and resources to focus on preventing and solving crimes.

Commenting on the figures, Councillor James Moore, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Reading Borough Council, said: 

“These new figures are terrifying for people in Reading. It shows the extent of a car theft epidemic that the Conservatives are totally failing to tackle. 

“People just want to know that if their car is stolen or house broken into, the police will turn up and properly investigate it. But this Conservative government and the Tory Thames Valley Police & Crime Commissioner have decimated community policing, leaving victims of crime to fend for themselves.

“The Liberal Democrats want to see a return to proper community policing, making our communities safer.”