Lib Dems voice disgust at Lambeth car theft “epidemic”

Lambeth Liberal Democrats have condemned what they term a "car theft epidemic" in the south London borough.

Data the local party secured through a Freedom of Information request revealed that between January 2020 to December 2022, 2,297 car theft cases in Lambeth were closed without a suspect being identified.

Only 1.3% resulted in a charge or summons, leaving a staggering 87.6% of car thefts in the borough unsolved in the last three years.

The new data follows previous research the Liberal Democrats published detailing that nationwide, police failed to attend 3 in 4 car thefts last year. 

Nationally, just 1 in 30 (3.4%) of car thefts resulted in a suspect being charged. But the picture in Lambeth is even worse, with just 1 in 76 (1.3%) of car thefts being solved. 

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is responsible for policing in the capital, although Central Government funding accounts for 69% of the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime's budget. Last week, the Met Police announced that they would stop attending mental health related callouts because resources are overstretched. 

The Lib Dems have called for a return to proper community policing - where officers are visible and trusted, with the time and resources to focus on preventing and solving crimes. They say that through years of unnecessary cuts and putting resources in the wrong places, community policing has been decimated. 

Commenting on the figures, Cllr Donna Harris, Leader of the Lambeth Liberal Democrat Council Group, said: "These new figures are terrifying for people in Lambeth. It shows the extent of a car theft epidemic that the Conservative Government and the Labour Mayor are totally failing to tackle. 

"People just want to know that if their car is stolen, the police will turn up and properly investigate it. Community policing has been decimated and the Met Police has been placed into special measures. Victims of crime are being left to fend for themselves, meaning criminals act with impunity and victims are denied justice. 

"The Mayor of London has more police officers per 100,000 residents than any other police force, yet the number of car thefts being solved in Lambeth is amongst the worst in the UK. We urgently need a return to proper community policing."