Directly recruiting new police detectives from parallel fields such as business fraud investigation could help tackle the government’s “abysmal” record on unsolved crimes, according to a proposal from Labour.
Analysis by the party found that 90% of recorded crimes do not get solved and there has been a 60% reduction in the proportion of offences that result in a criminal charge since 2015.
Labour said a shortage of trained detectives, with almost 7,000 vacancies across the UK, could be tackled if more forces directly recruited people with relevant skills, such as those working in business fraud, child protection or some areas of technology.
Fewer than half of police forces have such schemes, Labour said, pledging to make it a requirement for all of them to do this.
Under another proposal, intended to tackle delays in the judicial system, associate prosecutors would be allowed to deal with a backlog of serious cases currently overseen only by more senior crown prosecutors. There is also a plan for 13,000 extra neighbourhood police and police community support officers.
According to Labour’s analysis of crime statistics and charge rates, nearly 70,000 fewer reported crimes resulted in charges in 2022 than in 2019. Overall last year, 2.3m crimes were reported without a suspect being identified, up nearly 500,000 from 2021.
Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “After 13 years of Tory government, over 90% of crimes are going unsolved. That is the abysmal Conservative record on law and order – more criminals being let off and more victims being let down.
“For some serious crimes like rape and robbery, the charge rate is now so low it constitutes a national scandal. For far too long in this country, too many crimes have been committed without any consequences. Victims increasingly feel like no one comes and nothing is done. Labour is determined this has to change.”
Other statistics highlighted by Labour show that since 2015, the charge rate for reported sexual offences has dropped from 13.9% to just 3.6%, for violence against the person from 23.3% to 3.6%, and for robbery from 18.9% to 6.5%.
The analysis is part of a wider Labour push on crime and the judicial system, one of Keir Starmer’s five “missions” for government if his party wins the general election.
Unveiling the plan in March, Starmer pledged to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with measures including dedicated “rape courts” and domestic violence experts taking 999 calls.
An earlier stage of the crime mission prompted criticism after Labour produced an attack advert claiming that Rishi Sunak did not support jailing child abusers or people convicted of possessing a gun, based on the sentencing of people who had committed such offences.
