“Every theft” to be investigated

 Home Secretary, Suella Braverman, has instructed police to investigate every theft and follow all reasonable leads to catch offenders saying it is "completely unacceptable" that criminals are often "effectively free to break certain laws". She went on to say: "There is no such crime as minor crime - whether it's phone theft, car theft, watch theft, whether it's street-level drug-dealing or drug use, the police must now follow every reasonable line of inquiry."

Home Office figures show that, of all theft cases closed in the year to March 2023, the proportion closed because no suspect had been identified was 73.7%, the highest rate for any category of crime. In the same year, only 3.9% of residential burglaries resulted in someone being charged. The equivalent figure for vehicle theft was 1.8%, while for thefts from the person it was just 0.9%.

The Home Secretary wants officers to use evidence from smart doorbells and dashcams to solve many more lower-level crimes and new guidance on investigating such crimes is to be issued to all forces in England and Wales.

It follows talks between the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs' Council and the College of Policing - the professional body for policing staff.

But the Police Federation of England and Wales said forces are already "stretched beyond human limits". There are also concerns, denied by the Home Secretary, that the approach may take resources away from high-harm crimes such as rape and sexual assault.