Burglars getting away with it: 26 break-ins a day went unsolved in South Yorkshire last year

Published by the Home Office, the figures show that in the 2022/23 financial year, the vast majority of South Yorkshire burglary cases - a shocking 84 per cent - were closed without a suspect being identified.

During the same period, just 5 per cent of South Yorkshire burglaries concluded with a suspect being charged or summonsed.

Figures for England and Wales show nearly 77 per cent of burgalries went unsolved, putting the South Yorkshire rate at over 7 per cent above the national average for burglars getting away with their crimes.

When asked to respond to the figures, a South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: "We recognise the need to continue the significant work underway to tackle burglary offences and we remain steadfastly committed to providing an excellent, victim-led service.

"This includes offering a visit in response to all burglaries of homes; something we have done for a number of years. We are proactively increasing patrols and use preventative and enforcement tactics to protect potential victims and reassure residents.

"We continue to encourage the public to report burglary incidents to us, along with any information that may assist us in identifying those who commit these invasive and distressing crimes." 

The number of police officers fell sharply after the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats coalition government were elected in 2010, going from 172,000 officers in 2010 to 150,000 in 2017.

The Liberal Democrats left government in 2015 before the number of police officers reached their lowest point.

In the run up to the 2019 general election, the Conservative government pledged to recruit 20,000 more officers by March 2023.

Home Office statistics published in April 2023 showed the government had recurited 20,951 new officers s - bringing the total number to 149,572 in England and Wales.

The share of the 20,000 new officers allocated to South Yorkshire was 519, the Government confirmed in April 2023.

Sheffield Liberal Democrats have criticised the Government over the newly-released burglary figures for South Yorkshire, with a spokesperson stating that since 2015, the Conservatives have taken over 4,000 Police Community Support Officers off the streets. The party also claims that 'just 12 per cent of officers across England and Wales were assigned to frontline neighbourhood policing teams'.

The Liberal Democrat spokesperson said the party is 'calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are trusted and visible in their neighbourhoods, with the time and resources to focus on tackling local crimes like burglaries'.

The spokesperson said the party is also calling for a new 'Burglary Response Guarantee' under which all domestic burglaries would be attended by the police and properly investigated. 

Liberal Democrat candidate for Sheffield Hallam, Shaffaq Mohammed, added: “Everyone deserves to feel safe and secure in their own homes. But under this terrible Government, so many burglars are getting off scot-free. These figures will bring little comfort to families and pensioners in Sheffield.

“It’s a disgrace that our local communities are paying the price for the Conservative Government’s failures to get tough on burglaries.

“The Liberal Democrats would finally bring back proper community policing and introduce a Burglary Response Guarantee so all burglaries are attended by the police. It’s the only way to reverse these shocking figures.”