Shocking figures show fewer than 7% of burglars, robbers and arsonists caught and convicted in Sunderland

There has been a drop in the number of solved crimes

The official crime statistics for 2017 show that in the city there were 32,374 reported crimes of robbery, burglary, arson or criminal damage.

Of these, only 6.22% were solved, with the offender caught and punished.

A Sunday Times investigation mapped the 4.7million crimes recorded in England and Wales in 2017.

It revealed the detection rate with recorded sanctions has fallen nationally over the last five years from 19% to 9%.

MP for Washington and Sunderland West, Sharon Hodgson, said: “I know that many of my constituents will be concerned by the overall crime rate in Sunderland and the fact that the number of crimes being solved falls below the national average.

“This comes at a time when despite the Conservatives claiming to be tough on crime, the reality is far from the truth.

“The legacy of Theresa May’s time at the Home Office is one of cuts, cuts, and more cuts. There are now 942 fewer police officers and 280 fewer police community support officers for Northumbria.”

Superintendent Paul Milner of Northumbria Police’s Southern Area Command said: “As a force and locally within Sunderland and South Tyneside, we remain absolutely committed to cutting crime and protecting the communities we serve.

“We actively encourage members of the public to report crimes such as burglary, robbery and criminal damage to police at the earliest opportunity. Officers then carry out investigations into each report made to us, gathering evidence and looking to bring perpetrators to justice.

“Our officers work hard every day to investigate crimes of this nature and proactively target offenders who look to heap misery on our residents for purely selfish gains.

“As well as detecting crime, our priority is also to prevent incidents of this nature happening in the first place and we have been working with Sunderland City Council and other partners to deliver key crime prevention messages to people living in the most affected areas.

“Along with these types of offences, we have also confronted emerging crime trends including sexual exploitation, cyber-crime, modern day slavery and the terrorist threat.

“This all comes against a background of huge cuts faced by the Force, the greatest of any in the country at over £130million since 2010.”

Durham Constabulary was one of the top performing forces with 18.38% of the 47,843 crimes of robbery, burglary, arson or criminal damage, being solved