More than half of car thefts do not result in criminal proceedings

Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has today urged the government to protect the policing budget and enhance community policing after new research by his party found that 57% of all car thefts during 2021/22 did not result in criminal proceedings.  

A Scottish Liberal Democrat freedom of information request has found that while there were 4,076 car thefts recorded in 2021/22, only 1,751 of these were detected. This means that in just 43% of cases there was enough evidence to report the offence to the Procurator Fiscal, which may result in criminal proceedings being brought.    

Police Scotland defines detected crimes as those, “where there exists a sufficiency of evidence under Scots law to justify consideration of criminal proceedings.”  

Mr McArthur said:   

“These figures show there is a real problem in tackling car thefts and ensuring that victims get justice.  

“This situation is not helped by the SNP’s continued squeeze on policing budgets. Officers have consistently warned that cuts to budgets threaten a loss of skill and experience from the service, potentially limiting investigations and undermining access to justice.  

“To cut crime and ensure cases progress effectively through the system, the government must protect the policing budget, enhance community policing and give officers the resources they need to do the job.”