More Norfolk criminals sentenced for thefts last year

Ministry of Justice figures show 668 people were sentenced for committing a theft offence in the Norfolk Constabulary area in 2022 – up from 621 in 2021.

Nationally the number of sentences handed out for thefts rose for the first time since 2011, after concerns were raised about the number of successful investigations into low-level crime.

More criminals were sentenced in Norfolk for thefts including burglary (Image: Newsquest)

But the number of those being sentenced is still well below previous years – a decade ago, there were 1,807 in Norfolk.

Earlier this year Norfolk police crime figures revealed more than 4,500 theft investigations had been discontinued in 2022 because no suspect had been identified or because the crime had been “investigated as far as reasonably possible”.

That was more than half of the thefts reported.

READ MORE: More than 4,500 thefts in Norfolk left unsolved last year

Police said they were “looking at ways we can improve our current rates of solving crimes and bringing offenders to justice.”

A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: "Theft can have a serious impact on victims, and we are determined to bring perpetrators to justice whenever our legal test is met.

"We can only prosecute cases that are referred to us following an investigation and will continue to work closely with police to bring offenders to justice."

The average jail sentence for theft – which includes shoplifting, blackmail, burglary and stealing a vehicle or a bicycle – was 11.2 weeks last year, down from 12.9 the year before.

The average fine handed down rose slightly from £122 to £124.

Meanwhile, separate Home Office figures show 14,017 theft offences were recorded in Norfolk last year – up from 11,941 in 2021, though this year includes a period of Covid lockdown when thefts were sharply reduced.

Some 17,354 offences were recorded in 2012, a decade ago.