New Home Office statistics have revealed that a whopping 16,371 burglaries went unsolved across the West Midlands in the year ending June 2023.

This is equivalent to 45 burglaries going unsolved in our area every single day.

Meanwhile, just 1,206 cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed in the same time period – accounting for 5.62% of all burglaries in the West Midlands.

The national figures paint a similarly dire picture. 76% of all burglaries across England and Wales went unsolved in the year ending June 2023, while just 6% of cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed.  Sandwell’s Liberal Democrats have slammed the Conservative Government and Labour Police and Crime Commissioner for these figures, arguing that years of ineffective resourcing have left local forces overstretched and unable to focus on crimes like burglaries.

This includes taking over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015, and assigning just 12% of officers to neighbourhood policing teams.

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

This would be accompanied by a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Wednesbury, Manjit Singh Lall said: “Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes and confident that if they are burgled, the criminal will swiftly face justice. It’s hard for people in Sandwell to feel that confidence, thanks to these shocking figures.

“Yet again, the Conservatives are failing to even get the basics right on cutting crime. It’s a shame that our communities are paying the price.

“People in Sandwell deserve better – which is why the Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to restore proper community policing and implement our Burglary Response Guarantee. It’s the only way to bring an end to this shameful burglar bailout.”