Progress but 'long way to go' in crime solving for Cambridgeshire Police
More than two million cases were dropped in England and Wales, according to the Home Office
Last updated 3rd Aug 2023
Cambridgeshire Police say they're pleased with how many crimes they're solving but admit there's still "a long way to go".
Figures from the Home Office for England and Wales found 5.7% of crimes ended with a charge or court summons for the 12 months from April last year, despite more than 2 million cases dropped without a suspect found.
The county’s police force found that roughly 14% of all offences recorded ended up in a possible prosecution and is seeing improvement when it comes to solving crime.
Detective Chief Superintendent John Massey is from Cambridgeshire Police:
“We’re really proud of our performance,” he said.
“There’s a long way to go but we have an upward trend in terms of effectiveness of our investigative skills and outcomes.
“I think any member of the Cambridgeshire community can be confident we respond effectively, and we get a good outcome.”
In England and Wales, some crimes such as sex offences saw a charge rate of 3.6% and just 2.1% of rape cases ended in a charge.
Police officers in Cambridgeshire are also keen to focus on support towards victims of crime, despite some of the constraints it may face.
Mr Massey is confident the force can meet the challenges:
“We have programmes that listen to the voice of the victim and understand what outcomes they’re expecting and we’re not simply loading up the criminal justice system and prison service,” he said.
“We’re looking at effective outcomes that will stop these very serious offences from reoccurring.
“We are improving all the time but listening to our victims, providing solutions they want and working with them to help prevent crime reoccurring is something that’s important to us.
“We’re showing clear signs of improving there and will continue to do so.”