Drop in number of crimes resulting in charges across West Mercia

Figures from the Home Office show there were 93,590 crimes reported to West Mercia Police in the year to September 2022 – 5,120, 5.5 per cent, of which led to a charge or summons.

This was down from 7.9 per cent in the year to September 2021.

Of the broader types of crime, possession of weapons offences had the highest prosecution rate in West Mercia, with 17.2 per cent of crimes leading to a charge or summons.

Meanwhile sexual offences had the lowest, at just 3.1 per cent.

Superintendent Nigel Webster, who leads for West Mercia Police on Criminal Justice, said: “We endeavour for our investigations to be proportionate and have the right outcome for victims. On some occasions this means a case isn’t pursued through the criminal justice system as another outcome is more appropriate or there is insufficient evidence for the case to be put before the courts.

“Where we have the evidence, we present it to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to make a decision on whether an individual should be charged or summonsed.

“We work closely with our partners across the CPS and Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunal Service, and remain committed to getting justice for victims and survivors – no matter what form that justice takes.”

In Dyfed Powys there was a similar decline – 44,127 crimes were reported to the police in the year to September 2022 – 2,556, 5.8 per cent of which led to a charge or summons.

That was down from seven per cent in the year to September 2021.

Across England and Wales, sexual offences have been in the spotlight due to low prosecution rates and a surge in the number of offences recorded. Rape has the lowest charge rate across all crimes, with just 1.6 per cent of 70,633 offences recorded by police leading to prosecution across the two countries in the year to September 2022.

More than 40 per cent of rape investigations were closed because the victim did not support further police action. In West Mercia, the charge rate for all sexual offences has fallen from 6.1 per cent in the year to September 2021.

Labour’s shadow home secretary, Yvette Cooper, said rape victims are being “systematically let down by this government, with action against rapists totally failing to keep up with record levels of reporting”.

She urged: “Victims of these hideous crimes need and deserve the best possible support.”

Diana Fawcett, chief executive of charity Victim Support, said: “This huge rise in recorded sexual offences comes as the percentage of cases seeing justice has plummeted to an abysmal new low.

“Charges for rape and sexual offences have been falling sharply for the past six years – the system is in crisis,” she added.

For all types of crime, the figures show just 5.5 per cent of offences in England and Wales resulted in a charge or summons in the year to September 2022. This was down from six per cent a year before – although this excludes data from Greater Manchester Police because of problems the force had recording crime at that time.

The rate of prosecutions has generally declined over the years and is now less than half the percentage in the year to September 2015 – 14 per cent.

Minister for Policing, Crime and Fire Chris Philp pointed to reductions in a number of different types of crime, such as burglaries, serious violence and murder.

But he said “there is much more to do” to protect women and girls.

He added: “With huge efforts under way across the criminal justice system, we are now starting to see signs of improvement in the number of charges and prosecutions.”