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

There has been a drop in te number of solved crimes

The official crime statisitcs for 2017 shows that there were 15,065 reported crimes of robbery, burglary, arson or criminal damage in the borough

Of these, only 6.19% were solved - with the offender caught and punished.

An investigation by the Sunday Times 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 South Shields, Emma Lewell-Buck, praised the police service, saying: “In South Tyneside we have some of the best police officers in the country.

“These figures come as no surprise and show that cuts have consequences. Under the Conservatives, officer numbers have now fallen to their lowest level in 30 years, and recorded crime is rising at its fastest rate in a decade.

“Our police officers are working above and beyond every day making a difference in our communities. It’s a shame the Government aren’t as committed as they are.”

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 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 £130 million 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.