One-third of all crimes committed in the Greater Manchester area resulted in a conviction between April 2010 and April 2011, figures have revealed. Of the 70,032 crimes committed during this time, only 31 per cent resulted in a conviction. Greater Manchester police officers successfully convicted criminals in 665 of the 2,279 serious violent offences reported. However, their performance was found to be on a par with similar police forces across the UK. Police in Greater Manchester fared worse than those in Merseyside yet better than those in West Midlands and the Met. The performance of the Greater Manchester Police was found to have improved four per cent on the previous year. The region was also found to have one of the greatest records in the UK for prosecuting individuals responsible for carrying out serious sex crimes. Of the 2,228-recorded incidents of serious sex crimes, 1,348 individuals were found to have been successfully convicted. However, victims’ charities maintain that more needs to be done.
A Victim Support spokesperson said that the charity recognised that crime had been falling but felt that police forces needed to do more to convict criminals. The charity stated that one-third of victims failed to receive a response from the police following reporting a crime. The charity said that this was a cause of great dissatisfaction and frustration.
The criminal law department at Duncan Lewis comprises trained criminal law solicitors who are available on an emergency basis for new and existing clients arrested on suspicion of causing crimes.