Three in every four car thefts go unsolved in Britain as MPs urge boost in community policing numbers

MORE than three in four car thefts go unsolved, official figures show.

And MPs are urging ministers to boost community policing numbers to cut the scourge of stolen vehicles.

Home Office stats show that of the 31,654 car thefts reported from April to June last year, 24,837 were closed as unsolved — 78.5 per cent.

Just 883 people were charged or summonsed — a paltry 2.8 per cent of the recorded thefts.

London had the worst rate of 90.2 per cent unsolved car thefts — with 7,996 out of 8,861 cases dropped without a suspect.

And South Yorkshire Police saw 85.1 per cent going unsolved.

Lib Dem Home Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Smart blamed the figures on “brutal cuts” to neighbourhood policing.

She said: “Tens of thousands of victims are being left without justice they deserve — and thieves getting away scot free.

“Every victim of a crime deserves to feel safe and protected by the police, but unfortunately after brutal cuts that is far from the truth.”

Labour has pledged to recruit an extra 13,000 neighbourhood police officers.

Yesterday, The Sun revealed police abandoned four unsolved crimes every minute last year.

Officers failed to identify a suspect in more than half of robberies, six in ten criminal damage and arson cases and seven in ten thefts and burglaries, figures from the Home Office show.