TAXPAYERS have been left counting the cost of the Conservatives’ failure on crime, new analysis by the Labour Party revealed yesterday.

The overall hit to the economy rose to £95 billion in the last year, up from £59bn in 2015/16, according to the party’s analysis of data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Home Office.

Shadow policing minister Sarah Jones said that the figures showed “the huge impact crime has on our economy,” as well as the “devastating impact on people and their communities.”

Labour has updated the government’s own 2018 study on the “cost of crime,” which shows that crimes against individuals are estimated to have cost £72.5bn, up from £50.1bn in 2015/16, driven by increases in homicide, violence, rape and robbery.

Costs for crimes against businesses have more than doubled — from £8.7bn in 2015/16 to £22.8bn in the year to September 2020 — as a result of rises in theft and robbery. 

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer will visit Bedfordshire today to meet local shopkeepers affected by crime, alongside Labour’s Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) candidate, Dr David Michael, and Ms Jones.   

Ms Jones said: “The vast scale of this increased cost shows how out of control crime has got under this Conservative government. Rising theft and robbery in particular are incredibly traumatic for victims and cause real financial damage. 

“The Conservatives must take responsibility for these massive rises, following their devastating cuts to policing and preventative services.”

Labour has also called for urgent action from the government as the backlog in Crown Court hearings hit a new record high yesterday.

Data by the Ministry of Justice shows that as a result of the delays, which now sits at 57,516 cases, victims of serious crime, including rape, are being forced to wait up to four years for justice. Meanwhile, violent offenders are being allowed to avoid prison.

Last summer, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said he aimed to get the backlog in the courts “sorted and manageable by Easter next year [2021].”