Police fail to solve a single theft in nine out of 10 neighbourhoods

No suspect was found in 251 of 280 'theft from the person' crimes reported across the county between June 2019 and May 2022.

And out of the 15 local policing neighbourhoods where 10 or more occurred none were solved in seven.

The Nelson ward in Great Yarmouth was the worst with 28 thefts reported but not a single criminal brought to justice. In 13 no suspect was identified, while in 14 police were unable to prosecute.

Norfolk police said theft from the person offences made up less than one per cent of crimes and was often “overreported”.

There were often “no viable lines of enquiry to pursue” meaning crime reports were closed pending any further evidence coming to light, it added.

But Victim Support said theft can have serious and long-term impacts on victims – robbing them of both their possessions and their sense of safety.

Jeffrey DeMarco, assistant director at the independent charity, added: "Theft is a crime that must always be taken seriously by the police, and work must be undertaken to improve these shockingly low success rates.”

Victim Support said theft can have serious and long-term impacts on victims (Image: Getty Images)

Figures from data.police.uk, which includes police forces statistics, show Breckland had the highest rate of unsolved thefts (94pc), followed by North Norfolk and South Norfolk (both 93pc), and King's Lynn & West Norfolk (91pc).

Great Yarmouth has the lowest though more than eight in 10 thefts still remain unsolved. In Norwich the unsolved rate is 88pc.

Other areas revealed as where not a single theft was solved were St Margaret's with St Nicholas in King’s Lynn, where there were 21.

Zero-solve rates were also seen in the castle neighbourhood in Thetford, where there were 18 thefts, and two areas in Thorpe Hamlet in Norwich that saw a combined 26 thefts.

The university ward in Norwich, including West Earlham, and Old Costessey, which had 11 and 10 thefts respectively, also saw none solved.

No criminals were brought to justice in seven of the top 15 areas for thefts from the person (Image: Getty Images)

The National Police Chiefs' Council said forces will prioritise cases where there is a realistic prospect of prosecution, and ensure vulnerable victims have the support they need.

For crimes such as theft, an NPCC spokesman said police focus on targeting prolific offenders, organised crime networks, and ensuring prevention measures are in place.

A Norfolk police spokesperson said: “Our approach continues to be victim focussed and police are required to record all reported crimes in line with the National Crime Recording Standards, including all incidents where the victim believes a crime may have occurred and there is no evidence to the contrary.

“Theft from the person is a crime which is a subset of all theft and represents 0.6pc of all crime in Norfolk recorded in the time frame specified.

Police said “no viable lines of enquiry to pursue” meant theft reports were closed pending any further evidence (Image: Archant)

“The figures reported are in line with other forces nationally, and this specific crime is known to be overreported, for example, a person reporting the theft of a mobile phone or wallet which may have been mislaid.

“Our officers work hard to investigate reports of crime to bring offenders to justice, however it is often the case that there are no viable lines of enquiry to pursue and therefore a crime report will be closed pending any further evidence coming to light.

“We are continually looking at ways we can improve on our current solve rates and Op Investigate has been launched to upskill and support our front-line officers and staff to ensure the best possible experience for victims.”