4 out of 5 burglaries in Sussex now go unsolved

New Home Office statistics have revealed that a shocking 4,093 burglaries went unsolved across Sussex in the year ending June 2023.

Just 254 cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summonsed – barely 5% of the total which puts Sussex in the bottom quarter nationally.

Horsham Liberal Democrats have slammed the government for years of cuts which have left local forces overstretched and unable to focus on crimes like burglaries.

Nationally, this includes taking over 4,500 Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) off the streets since 2015 and assigning just 12% of officers to neighbourhood policing teams.

The Lib Dems are calling for a new “Burglary Response Guarantee,” under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated.

This would be accompanied by a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on tackling neighbourhood crime.

Commenting, Horsham’s Liberal Democrat Spokesman Cllr John Milne said:

“It’s clear that crime pays under the Conservatives. Everyone deserves to feel safe in their homes. We need to believe that if we are unlucky enough to be burgled, the criminal will swiftly face justice. But that’s not the way it is in Sussex.

"Yet again this Conservative Government has failed to get the basics right on crime. It’s a shame our communities have to pay the price.

“The Liberal Democrats will keep fighting to restore proper community policing and implement our Burglary Response Guarantee. People deserve better than this shameful burglar bailout.”