Yahoo News Met Police drops half of all crime probes within 24 hours, figures show
Nearly half of all crimes - 1,114 offences a day - are being dropped without a full investigation, according to Met Police figures.
A total of 337,826 crimes reported by the public were “screened out”, some within 24 hours, by the force between January and October this year — a staggering 44 per cent.
Under the General Investigations Policy, two-thirds of the burglaries reported — 40,878 — and 12,331 robberies, were dropped, the force revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request by the Liberal Democrats.
The Met say rape and sexual offences are always investigated, but this year five rape allegations were among the 387 sexual offences cases screened out.
Since 2016, more than 1.2 million offences have been dropped after an initial assessment.
Senior officers say they have to make brutal decisions about prioritising resources at a time of severe financial pressures and rising violent crime.
Murder, kidnap, domestic violence and other serious crimes will continue to be investigated fully, the Met said.
The screening out of lower-level offences such as shoplifting and criminal damage has seen usage of the policy surge in four years.
Lib-Dem deputy leader Sir Ed Davey, who is standing in Kingston and Surbiton, said: “These figures reveal that criminals are acting with impunity, with more than 1,100 crimes not being properly investigated by the police every day.
“The Liberal Democrats will invest £1 billion a year to restore community policing… That would be 2,000 officers more across London.
“We would also provide a two per cent pay rise to encourage experienced officers to stay and help recruit the extra numbers we need.”
Scotland Yard said: “The Met is under various pressures including financial challenges and increasing demand. As a result we are having to take decisions about how we prioritise our resources.
“We need our officers to be focused on serious crime and cases where there is a realistic chance that we will be able to solve it.”
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