90% of crimes unsolved as victims stay silent

Police fail to solve more than 90 per cent of crimes, the Audit Commission reports today.

The government watchdog found 11 million crimes a year go undetected, and victims fail to report seven million of those offences for fear of reprisals from perpetrators.

Out of the five million crimes that are reported to them each year, police solve just one million.

The report - Victims and Witnesses-Providing Better Support - claims the criminal justice system fails to protect witnesses, with 40 per cent of those who testify in court vowing never to do so again.

Audit Commission chairman James Strachan said: "With just nine per cent of crimes resulting in a conviction, confidence in the system is being eroded."

The report calls for more co-ordination between police, courts and other agencies in the justice system, and national targets for the care of victims and witnesses.

The Commission said overall crime had fallen in the last few years, but anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime are rising.