New figures reveal how many crimes are not solved in Lincolnshire

Hundreds of calls are made to the police every day - yet only a fraction end up with a criminal being put behind bars.

More than 19,000 crimes have gone unsolved in Lincolnshire in the past year, figures collated by LincsOnline reveal.

Police.uk figures from a 12-month period between August 2023 and July 2024 show the outcomes of the tens-of-thousands of crimes reported in all 58 of Lincolnshire Police’s neighbourhood areas.

A staggering 18,990 crimes never resulted in justice because the force was unable to prosecute a suspect.

For 627 crimes it was decided further investigation was not in the public interest and for 136 formal action was not taken for the same reason.

There are varied factors which could prevent a prosecution from being able to be carried out such as insufficient evidence, a suspect dying before proceedings are initiated or a victim not supporting further action.

The drawn-out process of taking an offender to court is not always the answer for the police.

Local resolutions were used for 535 crimes and offenders were given cautions or penalties in a further 650 cases.

This method has been used most in towns, such as Grantham, Spalding, Stamford, Skegness and Louth, and in Lincoln city centre.

More than 12,800 crimes fall into the category ‘other’.

Reports made to the police are usually well-intentioned, yet what may at first appear to be a crime could turn out to be something different after police investigation.

There have been 16,793 where no suspect has been identified by police after they’ve made inquiries.

Investigations are still underway for 9,879 crimes and 2,673 are awaiting a court outcome.

The figures are typical when looking at the previous two years for the same time frame, according to a Lincolnshire Police spokesperson.

They added: “We will do all we can to bring offenders to justice when the evidence allows, and we will always make sure victims are at the heart of everything we do.”

How do you feel about this? Share your views in the comments.