Police chiefs reveal four in five Sheffield crimes go unsolved

Between July and September last year, just 21 per cent of all crimes in Sheffield – one in five – were solved.

The lowest detection rate over that period was for burglaries, with only five per cent of cases solved.

The second lowest detection rate was for vehicle crime, with seven per cent of incidents solved.

Out of the total number of sexual offences reported, 11 per cent were cracked.

The force’s best detection rate was for drug offences, with a 72 per cent success rate.

It solved 45 per cent of cases involving the possession of weapons and 30 per cent of thefts.

Of all cases of violence reported, 20 per cent were solved, along with 16 per cent of robberies.

South Yorkshire Police said: “We know crime can have a huge impact on the victim and the reassurance often comes from knowing that the person responsible has been brought to justice either through the courts or through a community resolution.

“Whilst we strive to improve our detection rates, we are also focusing heavily on the prevention of crime and have a number of operations underway to address both aims. Operation Shield is a great example of this as it allows both officers and residents to mark property with a forensic link to the rightful owner. This aims to deter burglaries and where a burglary does occur, we can draw a forensic link between the burglar, the crime scene and the stolen property.

“We are exploiting all forensic opportunities and creating new opportunities as Op Shield demonstrates.

“In relation to sexual offences, we know that the prospect of having to give evidence in court can be enough to deter people from seeking prosecution. We are working closely with the courts and partner agencies to ensure that they very best support is given throughout the process.”

South Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Dr Alan Billings, said: “Detection rates are an issue nationwide and especially in those force areas where there are relatively high rates of crime. Those areas tend to be places where there is considerable poverty, higher levels of unemployment and where local services have been seriously cut back over the past decade.

“Burglary is a very intrusive crime and can feel like a violation. I have told the force that I will make this a particular area of focus this year. Burglaries fell by 29 per cent in Sheffield in 2020, in part due to the coronavirus, but we also need to get detection rates to improve.

“I want to see the detection rate for sexual assaults improved as for all crimes. This should be helped in the coming year with having more officers.

“There is also a national shortage of detectives and we are trying to increase numbers locally with some new recruits joining as detectives.

“South Yorkshire police do record crimes accurately – and HM Inspectors have commended them for that. This is important, because we need to know what the true levels of crime are so that we can measure progress in detection.”