"Victims are longing for justice"

Criminals in Yorkshire are “getting away scot-free”, an MP has claimed, as it was revealed that two out of every five crimes reported to police in the region last year went unsolved.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that while 603,401 offences were recorded by the region’s four police forces in 2019, 240,587 were shut down with no suspects identified.

Analysis of all UK police forces carried out by Layla Moran MP showed that both South and West Yorkshire Police closed nearly 45 per cent of all crimes reported last year. Humberside and North Yorkshire forces closed 36 per cent and 18 per cent of cases respectively.

A breakdown of the figures shows there were 3,145 sexual offences, including rape, closed across Yorkshire’s four counties, as well as 3,286 robberies written off.

While the cases closed may not all be cases reported in the same year, the figures mean that 40 per cent of crimes reported were shelved.

Ms Moran said that criminals in Yorkshire were “getting away scot-free”.

The Liberal Democrat MP said serious crimes were being filed with “nothing happening for months”, leaving victims “longing for justice”

"It is scandalous that we are seeing so many crimes in Yorkshire and The Humber are closed without further investigation by police forces,” she said.

"It is also vital that decisions made by the police about investigations, and the reasoning behind their decisions, are clearly and fully communicated with victims so they do not feel they have been left in the dark.

"At the moment millions of people are left without justice and rightly angry that criminals are getting away scot-free ."

The Halifax MP Holly Lynch, whose father was a policeman, added: " "Given the loss of 21,000 police officers across the country since 2010 under this Government, you can see the impact that this is having on the police's ability to investigate and resolve cases.

"This data gathered by The Yorkshire Post reveals that for certain types of crime it is it the norm to see no restorative justice at all. As crime evolves and is becoming more complex, this will only become worse without transformational investment in policing.

"This Goverment says it is the party of law and order, these stats show otherwise." 

Nationally, the rate at which cases are being shelved has increased rapidly over the last decade, growing from 361,180 in 2010 to 2.2m last year, equivalent to 43 per cent of all recorded crimes.

It follows the news this month that the 1993 murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence has been officially declared “inactive” by the Metropolitan Police.

South Yorkshire Police meanwhile was the only force in the UK last year to close a homicide investigation with no suspect, which was later confirmed as that of 60-year-old Deborah Neale who was found dead in April 2019 at a post office in Barnsley.

However, while her death was originally thought to be suspicious with one man arrested, police have since ruled out third party involvement and coroners ruled an open verdict at an inquest earlier this year. Her cause of death remains unconfirmed.

South Yorkshire Police’s Head of Crime, Detective Superintendent James Abdy said the force was making progress but recognised there was “still much more” they could do, while West Yorkshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson cited a lack of resources meant forces were unable to fully see through every case.

She said: “Given our limited resources, we seek to assess each crime on its individual circumstances and prioritise our response appropriately, based on a protocol which takes into account factors such as the nature of the crime and amount of evidence available.

“It must be stressed that when there are investigative opportunities for a crime we seek to pursue them as far as we can.”

A Home Office spokesman said: “The Government is doing everything in its power to make our streets safer.

“We are providing the biggest increase in funding for the police in over a decade and as part of that, Yorkshire police forces are receiving up to £1.134billion in funding in 2020/21, including precept.

“Since launching the police uplift campaign to recruit 20,000 police officers over the next three years, Yorkshire Police services have already recruited an additional 325 officers.”

"I just don’t have any faith that something will be done"

Having strangers break into your home and steal your possessions is one of the most violating crimes a person can experience. Aside from the financial losses incurred, the combination of having your privacy invaded and safety in your own home threatened often has huge ramifications for homeowners, particularly if they are elderly or vulnerable.

Seven out of 10 burglaries reported in Yorkshire last year, however, went unsolved and were closed by police.

Figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request showed, in two police force areas, nearly 85 per cent of burglaries were closed with no suspect identified.

South Yorkshire Police recorded 14,823 burglaries at homes and workplaces in 2019, with 12,461 (84 per cent) closed with no suspects – the fifth highest rate in the country based on the data available for analysis.

The data showed West Yorkshire Police also had a high proportion of burglary cases closed with no suspects, shutting 83 per cent.

Some 23,971 burglaries were reported to the force in the same year, but 19,968 were closed.

Gavin Hird’s independent craft beer shop in Shipley, The Triangle, was burgled four times in a year, costing his business £4,000 in stock and criminal damage while tripling his insurance premium.

All the burglaries - three of which occurred in three weeks - have been closed unsolved despite the suspect being caught on CCTV.

“The first time they got in was Christmas Day in 2018,” said father-of-two Mr Hird, 39.

The three following burglaries came within three weeks at the end of October and beginning of November last year.

“They took around £3,000 worth of stock at the end of October,” Gavin added.

“The thing I have been most surprised by is how much it has affected me emotionally,” he said.

“Even now I wake up in the middle of the night and check my phone in case there has been another break in.

“On each occasion, you can see the burglar on CCTV but it’s just like the Invisible Man – all you can see is his eyes.”

Mr Hird said he has never received any update from West Yorkshire Police to say they were closing the investigations.

“I just don’t have any faith that something will be done,” he added.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Farrell, of Bradford District Police, said: “Officers did investigate each of these four crimes and linked all three of the 2019 break-ins which we believed to have been targeted offences committed by the same thief.

“Full forensics were carried out and CCTV was recovered which showed the offender who was masked, and could not be identified from footage. CCTV footage from nearby council cameras was also searched but had not captured anything.

“Sadly despite a significant piece of work from investigating officers there were no lines of CCTV, forensic or house to house witness enquiry for us to pursue, and the case was finalised pending fresh evidence. Officers did provide crime prevention advice for the victim.”

In South Yorkshire, 95 per cent of thefts from vehicles were closed, alongside 74 per cent of stolen vehicles.

Hazel and Alan Sharp had their motorhome stolen from outside their home in Sheffield in June after thieves used a master key to get inside and drive away.

The thieves were caught on a neighbour’s CCTV two minutes after Mr Sharp, 72, called 999.

The retired couple told The Yorkshire Post that they did not receive a visit from the police until a week later, and that the vehicle had effectively “disappeared into thin air”.

“All our personal stuff was in there,” said Mrs Sharp.

“We had two bikes in there and things belonging to my late parents. These are things that are sentimental that can never be replaced. To the police, no one has been killed, so that’s it.”

South Yorkshire Police confirmed the case had been closed with no suspect identified, and said if “further investigative opportunities” come available, it can be reopened.

In Humberside, 76 per cent of burglaries went unsolved, while North Yorkshire Police had the lowest rate of unsolved burglaries, although 38.5 per cent were still closed with no suspect.

Ellen Miller, who is Service Director for the North and the Midlands at independent charity Victim Support, said the psychological impact of a burglary could be huge, but that this was often underestimated because it is, historically, a common crime.

“The thing with burglaries is that it’s a violation of the one place you are supposed to feel most safe,” she said.

“We don’t realise the full effect it can have, especially if the victim is living alone or is vulnerable.

“Feeling safe in your own home is a basic pillar of existence, and when you don’t, people will often sleep downstairs with the television on. That lack of sleep and accumulated anxiety can eat away and destroy you.”

Meanwhile, police forces are facing increasing pressures balancing workloads on reduced resources.

Forces in England and Wales had 20,000 fewer police officers compared with 2010, although work is underway to boost this following announcement of a major recruitment drive last Autumn.

South Yorkshire Police’s Head of Crime told The Yorkshire Post that the force understood the “traumatic nature” of burglaries on victims, but that evidence was not always sufficient to make arrests and that it prioritised cases more likely to result in a prosecution, or where the victim was a vulnerable person.

Detective Chief Superintendent James Abdy said: “We ensure that we allocate burglary cases to those with the best chance of finding the offenders with active lines of inquiry and also where there are clear issues relating to vulnerability around the victim.

“We have to underpin our decision-making around identification and best chance of arrest of suspects, and that is underpinned by intelligence or information that’s available to us, as well as any evidence showing opportunities in lines of enquiry.”

Det Supt Abdy added: “We do take the investigation of burglaries and all crimes extremely seriously, and we do recognise the traumatic impact.

“These are extremely serious offences that we prioritise and work closely with our partners to reduce vulnerabilities and maximise the chances to bring offenders to justice.”

West Yorkshire Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Catherine Hankinson said the force “both wants and needs” to improve its detection rate for burglary, quoting a 17.1 per cent reduction in residential burglaries last year.

“Burglary is investigated by dedicated teams of officers and staff,” she said.

“We recognise the impact that burglary can have on victims and we will continue to investigate these offences with the aim of bringing offenders to justice. By way of example, the Bradford team tasked with tackling residential burglary, made 127 arrests and charged 30 suspects in the first six months of 2020.”

Humberside’s Head of Crime Detective Chief Superintendent Phil Ward said: “Extensive enquiries are carried out as part of an investigation to identify suspects, which can include many techniques such as examining and trawling CCTV footage and developing and coordinating covert operations to help progress the case, but even with a number of exhaustive actions undertaken to identify who is responsible, it does not always lead to a positive result.

“This can be for a number of reasons and whilst we are always determined to identify as many suspects as we possibly can, sometimes there is insufficient evidence to be able to charge someone who is identified or the victim may not want us to continue with the investigation.

“However, cases where lines of enquiry and action have not identified a suspect, even though closed we will always explore any new leads or information that come through to us with the aim of bringing the perpetrator to justice."

“What is the point in coming forward?”

Rape investigations are resulting in so few prosecutions that victims are asking “what is the point in coming forward?”, Dame Vera Baird fears.

The Victims Commissioner for England and Wales is, in her own words, “making waves” about the scandal that is fewer than three per cent of rape cases reported to the police being prosecuted last year.

In the eyes of the law, rape is seen as the second most serious crime, after murder, yet has been “effectively decriminalised” according to Dame Vera.

In an interview with The Yorkshire Post, the QC - who has had an illustrious career campaigning for justice for female victims of crime - laid bare her frustration with the Crown Prosecution Service.

“58,000 rapes were reported to the police nationally in 2018,” she said.

“Last year, 1,758 people were prosecuted. So if you work those two together, it comes to roughly three per cent that saw a prosecution, and the conviction rate was lower again, of course.

“As a victim, you can see the woeful figures and you have to say to yourself, ‘why would I go through this and bother – what is the point?’”

Last year, more than 17,300 sexual offences were reported to police in Yorkshire & the Humber; of the 294 rape cases considered by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), some 168 were charged – a rate of 57 per cent.

Most notably, South Yorkshire Police saw the lowest percentage of CPS referrals resulting in a charge in England and Wales, with just 40 per cent of rape cases it referred for prosecution being ultimately charged.

Superintendent Shelley Hemsley, from the force’s Protecting Vulnerable People Governance team, said: "Any violence suffered by women and girls is unacceptable and can have a devastating and life-changing impact upon the victim. The force works hard to make sure victims feel confident in reporting abuse of any kind to us, and supported and taken seriously throughout every stage of the investigation.”

Dame Vera was scathing in her criticism of the CPS, following a whistleblower admitting in a document in June that lawyers were told to drop weaker cases to improve their conviction rates.

Among the cases dropped was a woman raped at knifepoint.

She said: “So, I would not myself wish to discourage people from reporting rape, on the basis of the statistics. I want to be saying, ‘no, we’re fighting this corner. We’re going to bring change and we will keep going until the CPS will actually change so please keep reporting’.

“Because, of course, rape is a serial offence and you have some people who carry on until they’re stopped. You have to try and prosecute as many as possible, and the risk is if you don’t prosecute cases then they go on to rape again.”

The CPS has consistently denied dropping weaker cases for the sake of sharpening its conviction rates.

Max Hill QC, the director of public prosecutions, said: "It is clear that more needs to be done both to encourage victims to come forward with confidence, and to support them through the criminal justice process so the gap between reports of rape and cases that reach the courts can be closed."

"We have a fantastic network of volunteers"

While rates of unsolved crime remain as high as 45 per cent in some parts of Yorkshire, there is one police force which has seen much smaller rates of crimes listed as unsolved.

North Yorkshire traditionally records low levels of crime, with Office of National Statistics figures last month revealing it to have the second lowest rate of crime in the country, just below Devon and Cornwall.

Lower crime figures overall mean police have more resources to tackle those which are reported, said Dr Daniel Hunt.

The lecturer in Investigative and Forensic Psychology at the University of Huddersfield said the main factor in crime levels is, above all, population.

With a population of 600,000 people for an area of more than 8,600 square km, North Yorkshire is sparsely populated with more rural areas in comparison with its counterparts.

Denser populations, according to Dr Hunt, mean higher crime levels and more limited resourcing. Put simply, “if there are more people, there are fewer resources to go around and less time to dedicate to every single crime reported”.

“In more densely populated areas there are just more opportunities to commit crimes on their own doorstep,” Dr Hunt said.

“There are more people to target, more densely compacted buildings and more streets meaning more access and getaway routes. Houses are also often similar layouts, meaning it will be more familiar to them and they can target another house in the same area again.”

In terms of an area’s geography, Dr Hunt said there is what criminologists refer to as a “buffer zone”, which is a mental safety net for offenders.

Criminals will avoid committing crimes in their own area where they may be recognised, instead choosing to travel just outside of their neighbourhood to an area that is still familiar.

Relationships between police and communities also play a large factor in crime levels and the rate at which offenders will be caught.

In rural North Yorkshire, a series of Rural Watch groups have been set up where residents join forces in WhatsApp groups to report crimes and suspicions between one another and to local officers.

Intelligence passed to the police through these groups has helped solve “countless” reports of suspicious vehicle activity which assists in burglary and vehicle theft investigations, as well as leading to the arrest of suspected quad bike thieves and poachers.

Detective Superintendent Fran Naughton, of North Yorkshire Police, said neighbourhood policing was an integral aspect of work in the force.

She said: “Our appeals for information or to identify individuals from CCTV footage are well supported by the public who provide vital extra eyes and ears to support our officers in their work.

“We also have a fantastic network of volunteers in our rural communities who not only keep watch over their local areas but help to make sure everyone is alerted in the case of suspicious activity or incidents which may affect them.

Dr Hunt added: “The more social organisation there is in an area, the more realisation there is about each other’s common goals.

“When there is greater interaction between the public and police, there is greater organisation, and that means more control.

“If I am going to offend, I’m going to do it in an area where I know I’m not going to be told on. In some communities where people are more disengaged with authorities, there may be less trust of the police and smaller rates of interaction.”

Det Supt Naughton added:“Whilst we work hard to solve crime, we must never be complacent and are always striving to improve the service we provide.

“Prevention remains a key focus and we continue to do everything we can to educate, share information and work with our communities so that they do not fall victim to unscrupulous criminals who may prey on them.”