According to the BBC more than 30,000 criminal cases collapsed
between October 2020 and September 2024 due to lost, damaged or
missing evidence.[1] It found that around one in 20
prosecutions by the Met had been dropped due to missing evidence
between 2020 and 2024, compared to one in 50 across England and
Wales.
Following a FOI request from the BBC and University of Leicester,
the number of cases reported as missing evidence were found to be
increasing: in 2020, 7,484 prosecutions collapsed due to lost,
missing or damaged evidence, compared to 8,180 in 2024, a 9 per
cent increase.
The BBC reported that the cases recorded included:
- Physical evidence, including forensic evidence, being lost,
damaged or contaminated during storage
- Lost digital evidence, including victim interview footage or
body worn camera footage
- Witness statements or pathology reports not being provided by
the police
- Key evidence not collected from the crime scene.
Tomorrow, the London Assembly Police and
Crime Committee will meet to question the Deputy Mayor
for Policing and Crime on the Met's ability to safely store and
collect evidence.
The Committee will also question the Deputy
Mayor about online radicalisation, the Met's recruitment pathways
and the Met's Culture, Diversity and Inclusion Directorate.
The guests are:
-
Kaya Comer-Schwartz, Deputy Mayor for Policing
and Crime
-
Kenny Bowie, Director of Strategy and MPS
Oversight, Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC)
The meeting will take place on Wednesday 16 July
2025 from 10am in the Chamber
at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, E16 1ZE.
Notes to editors:
- BBC News, Thousands of criminal cases
collapsing due to missing or lost police evidence, 6 June
2025
