Theft of all kinds is on the rise, a new analysis finds, despite pledges to crack down on burglary and car crime.
In all crimes, there were a total of 4.1 million reportable crimes in the first nine months of 2022 – up from 3.7 million in the same period the year before.
That’s an increase of 12 percent in one year, and the highest figure since at least 2014.
The House of Commons Library’s analysis shows that all forms of theft have increased over the past year.
Car thefts rose 30 percent to nearly 100,000 — the highest number in the first three quarters of any year since 2014.
Pickpocketing, burglaries and robberies had also increased over the past year, although not surpassing pre-Covid levels.
The new figures come after Rishi Sunak promised to force police to focus on community policing rather than so-called “awakened” concerns.
The new analysis found that there was also a large increase in arson, violent crime and rape, bringing the crime rate to its highest level in eight years.
And in the past year, the number of theft offenses has increased.
The Liberal Democrats said the numbers showed the Conservatives were allowing criminals to “riot”, and called for a return to community policing, with officers visible on the streets.
Alistair Carmichael, a Home Affairs spokesman, said: “This Conservative government is asleep at the wheel when it comes to tackling crime, which is spiraling under their watch.
“The Conservatives are too focused on their own party’s scandals and are disappointing victims by allowing criminals to riot across the country.
“The Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where local people are supported by their police team who have time to focus on preventing crime.”
The House of Commons Library, commissioned by the Lib Dems, compared crime statistics from January through September 2022 to the same nine months the previous year.
In total, the number of crimes rose from 3,742,541 to 4,714,205. The figures exclude fraud offenses, which have also increased.
All forms of criminal theft reported a dramatic increase in the past year, the analysis found.
The biggest increase was on-person theft, including pickpocketing. It increased by 59 percent, from 47,645 cases in the previous period to 75,906. However, this only bounced back to pre-Covid pandemic levels.
However, motor vehicle theft rose 30 percent to 97,225, surpassing all figures from January to September as early as 2014.
The figures also show that the number of arson, violent crimes, rape and stalking crimes and weapons possession crimes is at the highest level since 2014.
In the past year, violence with injuries increased by 13 percent to 437,141 and violence without injuries increased by 11 percent to 627,740.
Arsons rose 27 percent to 22,842, while rapes increased 8 percent to 52,744.
Home burglaries rose 6 percent to 142,430, but this was no higher than before the Covid pandemic.
Personal property theft, also known as robbery, increased by 18 percent, although this also came in line with pre-Covid levels.
When he became Prime Minister in October, Mr Sunak said he wanted to end the focus on “wake up” policing and encourage a back to basics approach pioneered by Greater Manchester Police.
It follows criticism of Lincolnshire police officers dancing the Macarena at a Pride event and, earlier, officers taking the knee in solidarity with anti-racism rallies while policing the event.
Government sources told The Telegraph: “We want to get officers to the frontline to do what they are supposed to do, which is to prevent and solve crime.
“The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester has done a great job of that. We want to see what Greater Manchester has done to other armed forces.”
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Crime Survey is the best measure of overall crime and theft. It shows that overall crime in the year to September 2022 is down 10 percent compared to the pre-pandemic year to March 2020, and theft is down 20 percent.
“As the Office for National Statistics makes clear in their publication, the increase in police recorded crime between 2021 and 2022 will be impacted by both the easing of Covid restrictions and changes in police reporting and record-keeping.”