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Police are facing a crisis of confidence as fewer than one in five people believe they will get justice if they fall victim to crime.

Just 16 percent think a perpetrator would be arrested and convicted. A staggering 72 percent fear they would not.

With data showing just one in 50 reported thefts results in a conviction, Shadow Justice Secretary Steve Reed on Saturday night claimed: “This soft approach simply encourages criminals to commit more crime – the Conservatives have decriminalised theft.”

An exclusive Omnisis poll found 80 percent said they would welcome more police on the beat.

The results have triggered calls for chief constables to get their officers onto the streets and to take a zero-tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour.

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In a bid to restore confidence, police chiefs will commit to investigating every reported crime where there is a reasonable lead – such as eyewitnesses, CCTV or doorbell camera footage. It is hoped the pledge will stop “low-level” crimes such as car and bike theft and shoplifting being overlooked.

Crime will be a key battleground in the next general election with both main parties drawing up hard-hitting policies.

A Home Office announcement expected soon will include a reduction in red tape that will send more officers out on patrol.

A senior police source said there was a “big push on the crimes that matter most to communities”, adding: “Forces have been missing so many forensic opportunities, not keeping evidence safe, not keeping victims updated. We’re not going to trawl through 300 hours of CCTV for a single car theft, but this policy is going to ensure we do investigate where there is evidence.  You can’t treat these crimes as minor.” 

This comes as Labour has stepped up its attacks on Tories’ traditional strong point of law and order.

Stating that “hundreds of thousands of car and bike thieves, shoplifters and burglars” have escaped punishment, it says just two percent of reported thefts last year led to a thief being found guilty in court. Its analysis of crime data revealed just 36,681 thieves were convicted in 2022 despite more than 1.6 million thefts being reported to the police.

Labour warns there are more than “4,500 outstanding theft cases stuck in the courts due to backlogs that reached record heights last year”. It also says the “number of thieves being sent to jail has collapsed by over 60 percent since 2012”.

Steve Reed said: “Rishi Sunak must explain why the Conservatives are on the side of criminals, not the law-abiding majority.” Crime is shaping up to be a key battleground in the election expected next year. Opposition leader Sir Keir Starmer has put a pledge to “make Britain’s streets safe” at the heart of his “five missions” for a future government.

And Simon Ketteridge, of the charity Victim Support, said it is clear that “public confidence in the police is currently extremely low”.

He said the polling “reflects what we’re hearing from victims, many of whom are reluctant to engage with the police, or have had ­disappointing ­experiences with the criminal justice system”.

He added: “To win back public trust, the police need to start delivering for ­victims by improving char-ging rates, ensuring victims are treated with respect and kept well informed about the progress of their case from start to finish.”

But the situation could be even worse, figures suggest. Just 37 percent of crimes are reported, according to the annual crime survey of England and Wales, covering the 12 months up to April.

Many victims believe the police “would not have been bothered” to investigate.

The survey, by the Office for National Statistics, found only 43 percent of violent crimes were reported along with 55 percent of domestic burglaries.

Victims who chose not to report crimes could give more than one reason for their decision. A third said they believed police would not be able to do anything and a quarter said officers would not have been bothered or interested.

Some 16 percent of people were victims of crime, the survey found. Violent crimes included 50,489 knife offences – up five percent year on year.

The data excludes incidents of fraud or computer misuse, which are often reported to a body called Action Fraud rather than directly to police. Only 12 percent of these are reported.

MP Nick Fletcher – who in 2019 became the first Tory to oust Labour from Don Valley – urged police chiefs to put bobbies on the beat.

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He said: “People need to know they are safe and that criminals will be dealt with. That is why we have recruited 20,000 additional police officers.

“My message to all the chief constables is a simple one: get your officers out on the streets, back on the beat and apply zero tolerance to crime and anti-social behaviour wherever they find it.” Fellow Tory MP Craig Mackinlay said: “It is worrying but not surprising that public confidence in the police’s ability to solve crime is at such a low point, leaving many to ask, ‘What do the police actually do?’.

“The most common police interaction the law-abiding majority have is when a robust and threatening stream of letters arrive after a minor traffic misdemeanour. Police numbers and funding are high – the taxpayer needs to feel confident that payment for service is being delivered.”

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper described the public’s lack of confidence that criminals will be punished as “damning”.

She said: “Our model of policing by consent depends on the public believing there will be consequences when they report a crime.

“But the woefully low charge rate shows far too many criminals are getting away with it and victims are being let down.”

A spokesperson for the National Police Chiefs’ Council acknowledged trust had been damaged and pledged to address ­concerns, saying: “Policing must continue to do more to build the trust and ­confidence of the public, which we know has been eroded in certain places over recent years.

“To do so, we remain focused on preventing crime and disorder, listening to communities’ concerns so that we can focus on the issues that matter most to them, and providing consistently high-quality services in responding to emergencies, investigating crime and keeping people safe.” A Conservative source said that by opposing Tory legislation Labour’s Mr Reed had supported “weaker sentences for child killers and violent sexual offenders”.

They added: “There is no doubt criminals are desperate for a Labour government.”

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “The public rightly expects the police to protect them, delivering the highest standards and common sense policing.

“We encourage police forces to work with partners across the justice system to see more criminals charged and prosecuted.

“We have delivered on the promise to recruit 20,000 additional police officers.

“This means there are now more than ever before.

“Progress is being made, with crime falling in England and Wales by 54 percent since 2010, excluding fraud and computer misuse.”

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