Silent Crime: “Unreported and unpunished crimes undermine the entire justice system”

According to the latest Home Office data, two million crimes went unsolved in a single year in the UK, while offences such as knife crime and shoplifting soared in the same set of statistics.

2.3 million criminal investigations were abandoned by police in the year to September 2023, or around 6,300 per day. Shoplifting cases are at their highest level in 20 years, amid a surge in theft in general.

The Express and Star, the Shropshire Star and its sister newspapers and websites NationalWorld, are calling this epidemic of violence, theft and anti-social behaviour a ‘silent crime’ – and we have launched a campaign to ensure the voices of victims are heard.

We want you to tell us about incidents that have happened to you, your family or friends in your neighbourhood; how it has affected you and whether justice has been served.

Professor Steve McCabe, an economist, business expert and lecturer at Birmingham City University, said it was often the “low-level issues” that caused “the most aggregation” within communities because they often went unreported or unresolved.

He said: “The idea that people’s abuse will never be investigated makes people uncomfortable.

“This sense of impunity towards criminals… undermines the entire justice system.”

Watch the full interview with Professor McCabe in the video above.

To force change we need to come together and remember that these ‘petty’ crimes are not acceptable. You need to be safe and feel safe at work, at home, in the park and in our own neighbourhoods. We need you to tell us your stories and we will take them, on your behalf, all the way to Downing Street. We need to stop being silent and we need your help. Comment on our story below or join our: Black Country Crime Inquiry