Every theft should be investigated, Braverman tells police, as she threatens 'special measures' for failure
27 August 2023, 23:13 | Updated: 28 August 2023, 06:58
The Home Secretary will issue police forces with new guidance to investigate all thefts in a new push to increase solution rates for low-level offenses.
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Suella Braverman told the Daily Telegraph that all thefts will be investigated if there is a "reasonable line of inquiry" after her Home Office struck a deal on advice to be issued across England and Wales by the College of Policing.
It comes after the police have faced pressure from ministers in recent months to improve conviction rates, as the numbers for ‘low level’ crimes such as theft have plummeted in recent years.
Earlier this week it emerged that more than three-quarters of burglaries reported go unsolved, amounting to some 213,000 burglaries in 2022.
In June, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) confirmed that police would now attend every burglary.
The fall in investigations into these ‘minor’ crimes have been chalked up to austerity measures, as police have insisted they must focus on high-harm cases that impact the most vulnerable victims.
Chief constables have previously promised to investigate every crime reported with a “reasonable lead” in a bid to clamp down on “low-level” crimes.
Police committed make more inquiries into ‘minor’ offences that have been overlooked in recent years under a proposed plan.
Chief constables have pledged to dedicate more resources to tackle offences such as shoplifting and car thefts.
All criminal reports with “reasonable leads” will be investigated - which may include evidence from doorbell videos, CCTV, GPS trackers and witness accounts.
