NEARLY nine in ten car thefts go unsolved in London, according to analysis by the Liberal Democrats.
Data has revealed the Metropolitan Police closed 89 per cent of car theft cases last year without even identifying a suspect.
It also found just 2.4 per cent of vehicle thefts result in someone being charged.
This, the Liberal Democrats say, is the worst record of any police force in the country amid calls for the Metropolitan Police to set up a car theft taskforce.
Separate analysis of Home Office statistics by the Liberal Democrats has found that the Met closed 24,499 vehicle theft cases in 2021, and in 21,757 of these no suspect was identified.
Just 598 cases resulted in a suspect being charged or summoned.
Over the past five years, a total of 124,548 vehicle theft cases have been closed by the Metropolitan Police without a suspect being identified.
Liberal Democrat assembly member Caroline Pidgeon also found more than 10,000 catalytic converter thefts were recorded by police in London during 2021.
The Liberal Democrats sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request to every police force in the country and found the startling findings about the Met closing police stations across the city.
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police told the Standard: “We recognise the impact that motor vehicle crime can have on victims, especially those who rely on vehicles for either means of employment or the routine of daily life.
“We are working closely with partners and local neighbourhood groups including neighbourhood watch schemes to tackle this crime type…”