Police chiefs across England and Wales are facing a damning report exposing a collapse in criminal investigations, with probe times almost tripling over the past decade.

A study by the Social Market Foundation, published today, found investigation times have climbed by a staggering 193% – up to 41 days from just 14 – despite significant rises in officer numbers.

The think tank warned poor leadership across police forces is a key factor, with officers overwhelmed, poorly supported and struggling to catch criminals and secure convictions.

The report found recorded crimes per officer resulting in a charge or summons has fallen by more than 40% over the last decade. Overall charge rates have dropped 58% compared with 2013/14, with the number of crimes each officer faces surging.

While police numbers have increased, the growth in crimes has vastly outstripped recruitment, leading to a 44% rise in crimes per officer over the past decade. The report paints a bleak picture of investigative capability, with 90% of police forces rated ‘mediocre’ or worse for their ability to solve cases by inspectors.

There has even been a 75% drop in forces rated “good” over the same period.

Leadership failures were identified as a major cause of the decline, after concerns were raised by the Chief Inspectorate of the Constabulary in 2023. The report found that leadership was the lowest-rated area in the National Police Wellbeing Survey in 2025, scoring just 4 out of 10.

Officers also reported concerns about training, with only 43% saying learning and development activities had actually helped improve their performance. The impact of a lack of performance improving training has been particularly severe in complex crime cases, such as cybercrime.

Cases involving online criminals have grown in recent years, but only 0.1% lead to a charge or summons, compared with 17.2% for non-fraud or non-cyber victim-based offences

Despite concerns that cops are closing investigations early, the report found that they are still taking even longer to complete, putting more strain on officers and victims. The SMF said that more complex crimes, and a high proportion of sexual assault and harassment cases have added to the problem.

And it warned that leadership and management failures at the top of Britain’s police forces are making the challenge worse. Their report estimates that if investigations failed because of “evidential difficulties” were reduced by just 25%, more than half a million extra crimes could be solved.

Richard Hyde, Senior Researcher at the Social Market Foundation, said: “It is clear that policing in England & Wales faces significant, systemic challenges.

“The police’s widespread poor performance in criminal investigation is closely linked to the low clear-up rate for crimes, especially fraud and cybercrime. Together, they betray the fact that the English and Welsh policing model is a failing one and is in dire need of reform.

“If the public is to have any confidence that they will be policed more effectively, it is crucial that police leadership is drastically overhauled and problems like workplace attrition rates are stemmed.”

The report warned that leadership reforms face further pressure from workforce instability, with the Police Wellbeing Survey showing an attrition rate of 29%.

Chris Philp MP, the Shadow Home Secretary, said the findings showed the need for urgent change.

“The simple truth is that not enough criminals are being caught,” he said. “Only 7.3 per cent of recorded crimes in a quarter result in a charge or summons, and less than 5 per cent by the Met, the largest police force.”

He added that focusing on technology and ensuring police follow “all reasonable lines of enquiry” could help restore confidence in law enforcement.

The report, titled A Plodding Performance, analysed inspection findings, Home Office crime data, police workforce statistics and a 2025 survey of officers, warning that without decisive leadership reform, policing failures will continue to deepen.

The Home Office was approached for comment.