Just 5.6% of offenses reported to the police led to a suspect being charged or summoned in 2021-22, down from 7.1% the year before and 16% in 2014-2015, Home Office figures reveal. Rape dropped to 1.3% of reported crimes charged. in 42% of cases the victim abandoned and withdrew support to seek justice through the criminal justice system. The low number of charges comes despite claims by police, prosecution service chiefs and the government that they are dealing with a chronically low rape conviction rate. The official figures released on Thursday gave opposition parties ammunition with which to attack the Conservative government’s 12 years of criminal record. Figures from the Office for National Statistics showed that 6.3 million crimes were recorded in the year to March 2022. This is 4% higher than the 6.1 million offenses recorded in 2019-20, the previous high. The latest figures were up 16% on the previous year, but those figures were low because the country was in lockdown for Covid, reducing crime rates. The ONS said the England and Wales Crime Survey, which asked people about their experience of crime, was more accurate than the figures recorded by the police, which can be skewed by the way offenses are counted and by the willingness of victims to come forward. The ONS said the crime survey showed that crime has fallen over the past 20 years. However, offenses recorded by the police showed a range of serious offenses reaching 20-year highs since more detailed data collection began. These record-high offenses include rape, up to 70,330 in 2021-2022, all sexual offenses (194,683), stalking and harassment offenses (722,574) and offenses of violence against the person (2.1m). The number of domestic abuse-related offenses recorded rose by 12% in the pre-pandemic year 2019-20 to 909,504. chart Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said: “Hundreds of thousands more criminals are getting away with horrific crimes and more victims are being let down by the Tories. This is the shocking reality behind today’s figures. “Across the country people are sick and tired of doing nothing. The Conservatives’ disgraceful lack of leadership on law and order over 12 years has deeply damaged policing and the criminal justice system, but it is victims and communities who are paying the price.” Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Alistair Carmichael said: “This is an appalling situation. People should have the right to feel safe and to know that the criminals who victimize them will be caught and punished. “We’ve had years of tough talk from Tory ministers, but the truth is they can’t even get the basics right.” Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST Diana Fawcett, chief executive of Victim Support, said victims were waiting longer for justice: “This huge rise in recorded crimes coincides with victims across the country facing agonizingly long waits for a trial. With the highest number of cases in 20 years entering the criminal justice system, we need urgent action to tackle the backlog to ensure that those who have had the courage to report a crime receive the justice they deserve.” In a statement, the Home Office appeared to blame at least the police, which are still recovering from years of cuts. A Home Office spokesman said: “We know more needs to be done now that restrictions have been lifted and we expect the police to ensure they get the basics right. “The Government has given policing an extra £1.1 billion this year, including investing millions to tackle crime in the worst affected areas. We are also supporting the recruitment of 20,000 extra officers across England and Wales, with over 13,500 already on the streets, keeping our communities safe.”
