Questions to the Mayor of London – answered at on 19 March 2020.
For each of the years 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019, how many police suspects have had proceedings against them dropped, because the period set in law to bring proceedings to expire has passed? Please breakdown by minor crime type.
The MPS informs me that there is no longer any code contained in either the Crime recording System (CRIS) or the Custody System to indicate where a crime is not proceeded with as being passed the statutory time limit for such a prosecution to take place. Such offences are where they are summary only offences and can only be heard at Magistrates Court
It would therefore not be possible to state whether the proceedings against a suspect was dropped – or not begun due to a lack of evidence as opposed to a lack of timeliness.