You asked
It has been reported that 597,315 police investigations were abandoned last year (2016). How many of these were for motoring offences?
If you have the figures, could you break them down by offence?
We said
Thank you for your enquiry.
We hold data which relates to the number of crimes recorded by the police and measured by the Crime Survey for England and Wales. We do not hold data which relates to the outcomes of police investigations.
The Home Office collect some outcome data against recorded crimes and may be able to provide a more detailed breakdown for motoring offences. Their email address is crimeandpolicestats@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk.
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) collate data with regard to the outcomes of crimes for which offenders are prosecuted. Relevant data reports from the CPS can be accessed via: https://www.cps.gov.uk/publications/performance/case_outcomes/
The CPS reports contain a monthly analysis of the outcome of CPS proceedings in magistrates' courts and in the Crown Court. Outcomes are broken down into two categories: convictions and unsuccessful outcomes. The report shows the number and the proportion of defendants falling into each category by motoring offences. CPS records do not identify the principal offence for cases resulting in an administrative finalisation, which are shown as a separate category.
The relevant email address for Freedom of Information requests from the CPS is as follows: FOIUnit@cps.gsi.gov.uk.