Just over 30,000 burglaries in England and Wales did not even result in a suspect being identified by police last year, research released by the Liberal Democrats shows.
Just 8% of all personal property theft offenses reported to the police last year saw a person charged, data from House of Commons library research shows.
West Midlands police is the worst force in this metric, with 4% of robberies reported by its officers in 2022 leading to a charge, followed by Northamptonshire on 5%, with Avon and Somerset and the Hampshire forces both manage 6%.
The research shows that of the 30,079 thefts of personal property reported across England and Wales in 2022 the cases were closed without a suspect being identified.
The dataset is for theft of personal property involving violence or threats, the formal definition of mugging.
The Lib Dems said it reflected the poor performance of the home secretary, Suella Braverman, as she was “involved in scandal” such as claims she asked civil servants to intervene to arrange a private speed awareness course after being caught speeding.
The party is calling for a greater focus on more visible community policing.
Sarah Olney, the Lib Dems’ Treasury spokeswoman, who asked the Commons library to carry out the research, said: “These shocking figures show that muggings have been effectively decriminalised, with far too many violent criminals are released.
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“People are left feeling unsafe walking their own local streets, as this Conservative government cuts neighborhood policing to the bone,” he added. “Victims of crime are being left behind while home secretary Suella Braverman is embroiled in endless scandals.
“We need to see a return to proper community policing, make our streets safer and end this free-for-all for criminals.”
Annual statistics for 2021-22 released last year showed that recorded crime in England and Wales reached a 20-year high, with the proportion of offenses leading to court action at a new low.
Overall, 5.6% of all offenses reported to the police led to a suspect being charged or summoned, up from 7.1% last year and up from 16% in 2014-2015, Home Office figures show. .
A Home Office spokesman said: “Robbery is an invasive and distressing crime for victims and we expect the police to take all incidents seriously.
“We are giving the police the resources they need, which has led to our commitment to recruit 20,000 more police officers by March 2023, the highest ever.
“We are also supporting the police by providing funding for crime prevention measures, including better street lighting and CCTV, and equipping the police with better technology to aid their investigations and arrest many criminals.”
