Responding to the data, a Home Office source said ministers expected a “zero tolerance” approach to all crimes by police, with forces having agreed in September to follow up “every line of enquiry for all crimes – without exception”.
The source said: “Since March, there have been record-ever numbers of police and over half a billion pounds extra invested. These extra resources must deliver a significant increase in the number of crimes solved.”
It comes as new figures reveal police abandon investigations into four crimes every minute without tracking down the perpetrators.
Forces gave up on investigations into 2,306,623 reported crimes in the year to June – including hundreds of thousands of violent offences and burglaries – marking an increase of nearly 13 per cent on the previous year
The official Home Office figures, seen by the Daily Mail, are equivalent to more than 6,300 every day on average, or one every 14 seconds.
No force rated ‘outstanding’
Forces are ranked on metrics including looking after their workforce, providing value for money and treating the public with respect, but when judged on investigating crime alone the ratings fall.
They scored worse on these metrics than other criteria such as preventing crime, treating the public with fairness and respect, and value for money.
Not a single force was rated as “outstanding” in either investigating crime or responding to the public. Outstanding is the top of five levels of performance, which then go through good, adequate, requiring improvement and inadequate.
Three forces were ranked inadequate for investigating crime, with 19 judged as “requiring improvement”. Eight were assessed as “inadequate” in responding to the public, and a further 17 found to be “requiring improvement”.
The Telegraph analysis was based on inspections from 2021/22, covering all 43 forces over the same period to allow a fair comparison. The performance of five forces – the Metropolitan Police, West Midlands, Devon and Cornwall, Staffordshire and Wiltshire – is of such concern that they are currently in special measures.
William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
