Lib Dems demand ‘Burglary Response Guarantee’ as 75% of cases go unsolved in the West Midlands

New analysis from the Liberal Democrats has revealed that a staggering 16,180 burglaries went unsolved across the West Midlands in the year ending September 2023.

This means that on average, a whopping 44 burglaries in the West Midlands went unsolved every single day.

Meanwhile, only 1,276 resulted in a suspect being charged – equivalent to just 6% of cases.

Solihull’s Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government for these alarming figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing have left local police forces overstretched and unable to focus on frontline crime like burglaries.

This includes taking 304 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets in the West Midlands since 2015 - a 49% decrease.

This means that as of September 2023, there were only 316 PCSOs on the streets of the West Midlands.

The Liberal Democrats are demanding a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime.

The party is also calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee,” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.
 

Commenting, Ade Adeyemo, Liberal Democrat Candidate for Solihull West and Shirley, said:

“With the vast majority of burglaries still going unsolved in Solihull and the West Midlands, too many people feel unsafe in their own homes.

“Time and again, this Conservative Government has failed to deliver the absolute basics of stopping and solving crime. But enough is enough.

“Solihull deserves better.  It’s high time to bring an end to this shameful burglar bailout – which is why Liberal Democrats will keep pushing the Conservatives to implement our Burglary Response Guarantee and get more bobbies on the beat.”

Lib Dems call for a 'Burglary Response Guarantee'

Liberal Democrats are calling for a new statutory guarantee that all burglaries must be attended by police and properly investigated.

To implement this guarantee, Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to:

• Return to proper community policing, where officers have the time and resources they need to focus on preventing and solving crime;
   
• Urgently draw up a strategy to tackle the shortage of detectives; and
   
• Set up a new national Online Crime Agency, to better protect people from online crime while freeing up local forces’ time to tackle burglars.

The Solihull and Meriden Liberal Democrats represent Liberal Democrat Members, Volunteers, Campaigners, Councillors and Candidates within the Local Authority area of Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council, and the two Parliamentary Constituencies of Solihull and Meriden.

Liberal Democrats in Solihull and Meriden have a long record of action for the community, fighting hard for local residents on issues that are important to them.