Essex Police revealed that only 13.35 per cent of crimes in the county were solved in 2023, despite over 9,000 fewer offences committed than in 2022.
Statistics revealed that less than 10 per cent of victim-base crimes were solved last year, with only three-and-a half-percent of rape cases solved too.
The summary concluded that the areas of Chelmsford, Uttlesford, Brentwood and Epping Forest all boasted less than 12 per cent of crimes being solved, with the areas of Maldon and Tendring holding the worst crime solve rate at just over 10 per cent.
Essex Police said in a statement that: “Officers and staff, some of which are military veterans, work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to keep the public safe and investigate crime.”
Essex Police released the statement earlier today
PA
They added: “That’s what we do and that’s what the people of Essex expect.”
Essex Police have recently been under fire for arriving at British Journalist, Allison Pearson’s home on Remembrance Sunday, to inform her that she was under investigation for a tweet made in 2023.
After Pearson’s response to the investigation, Essex Police said her response was “unethical.”
Pearson responded on social media by saying: “It was ‘unethical’ of me to report my awful experience at the hands of two constables.”
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Allison Pearson was visited by police GB NEWSMost shockingly from the report, only three-and-a-half per cent of rape cases were solved in the last calendar year.
In the area of Rochford, 63 rape cases were reported but only one was solved and in Brentwood, 69 cases were reported but only one was solved.
This is all despite 9,000 fewer cases being reported than the previous year and the number of cases going down by 20,000 when compared to five years ago.
Essex Police said in their statement that they, “cut crime” and they “police without fear or favour and when a crime is reported [they] investigate.”
The largest percentage of crimes solved by Essex police was with drug-related offences, having over 85 per cent of cases solved, down from 89.2 per cent in 2022.
Chief Constable of Essex Police Ben-Julian Harrington has also come under scrutiny today, for suggesting that hate crime was on par with rape, child abuse and knife crime.
A document from 2021 reads: “Essex Police have identified 14 thematic strands which not only pose the greatest potential threat, harm and risk to our people and communities but also present the greatest opportunity for prevention.”
Essex Police concluded in their statement today: “There has been a large amount of false reporting about an ongoing investigation and the force has registered complaints with Ipso.”