In the last 14 years, there have been almost 700 homicides where the police investigation remains open and no suspect has been charged, according to data obtained via freedom of information requests.
A similar pattern has emerged at Greater Manchester Police where the force had only four unsolved cases in 2012 but 19 in 2020. The potential reforms have been welcomed by experts and victims’ campaigners, but critics pointed to the fact it will be of no benefit if police aren’t able to catch a suspect in the first place.: “Whilst most people in the law enforcement sector will welcome a review of the homicide law and related sentencing, I am concerned to hear that the amount of murders being successfully solved is decreasing.
Earlier this year, the Met confirmed it is around 1,000 officers short of its target and has warned that the number of inexperienced officers within local policing “presents a risk to the quality of investigations”. Last year, Dr McCartney published research which found that even when suspects are charged, thousands of cases are not getting to trial due to evidence going missing.
“If you can’t deal with a crime scene, you can’t get witnesses, you can’t get forensices, police haven’t got the detectives, inevitably it’s going to lead to an increase in unsolved murders.”