Police failed to attend 1,412 burglaries in Surrey last year while four out of five car thefts a day went unsolved
2,195 burglary cases being closed without a suspect even identified
1,503 car theft cases closed without a suspect being identified
Police Community Support Officers in Surrey cut by 35
Epsom and Ewell Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate and former Royal Military Police officer, Helen Maguire, is pushing Government to spend more on policing in Surrey given the “dire” state of policing in the County.
Using figures culled from various public sources by the LibDems, Helen points to the 1,412 burglaries that went unattended in Surrey last year, as another example of the Conservative Government suggesting it is tough on crime with the facts telling a different story.
Figures uncovered by the LibDems show that of the 2,768 burglaries reported in Surrey, the police only arrived at the scene in 1,356 instances - accounting for just 48.99% of cases. The number of unsolved burglaries in Surrey also soared, with 2,195 cases being closed without a suspect even identified. This is equivalent to 79.3% of all cases.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee,” which would create a guarantee that all domestic burglaries are attended by the police and properly investigated.
This will require a return to proper community policing - where officers are visible, trusted, and have the time and resources needed to focus on solving crime. Yet since 2015, the Conservatives have taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets, while they look set to have broken their key promise of having recruited an extra 20,000 police officers by the end of March 2023.
“The number of PCSOs has fallen to just 69 by the end of March - down from 136 PCSOs just over a year ago in February 2022. It’s worse in Epsom and Ewell where we should have 8 and now have half of that number. That’s hardly a good track record for a (Tory) Party which makes out to be supportive of policing! Hardly surprising then that so many burglaries in our community are not being attended by police officers. No family should be denied justice after suffering the distress and trauma of being burgled”, said Helen.
“Car theft is also a scourge across the county with a staggering 79.2% of car thefts going unsolved last year with just 5.3% resulting in a charge or summons. Lib Dem analysis, based on the latest Home Office statistics on crime outcomes, showed that a grand total of 1,503 car theft cases in Surrey were closed in 2022 without a suspect even being identified - equivalent to 4 car thefts going unsolved every day.
“The priorities of this government are clearly not on our public services with our police officers, like the NHS, being starved of resources. In such a dire situation, enough is enough - we need a change of regime - one that puts the focus on our communities, on law and order, and the health and wealth of our people,” said Helen Maguire.
“Many families across Surrey now feel unsafe in their own homes, because this Conservative government has left our police forces overstretched and under-resourced. It means far too many victims are being denied justice and far too many criminals are getting away with it.
“Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the Surrey Police budget for 2022/23 was underspent by at least £7.9 million, enough to pay for the entire 5.1% council tax increase imposed by the Police and Chief Commissioner Lisa Townsend for 2023/24.
“Surrey residents may be wondering why they have to pay the highest council tax in the country for their police force, when so much of their council taxes is either being used to expand the Police and Crime Commissioner’s own office and media team, or is not being spent at all.
“The Liberal Democrats would ensure that if people are burgled, they know the police will attend the scene and investigate properly. More and more people across Surrey are turning to the Liberal Democrats, because they know we work hard for our communities, we hear your concerns, and we never take you for granted.”