§ Mr. BattleTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded cases of homicide remain unsolved since 1960; whether these files remain open; and what guidance his Department is giving to police forces on whether to pursue investigations of unsolved homicides.
§ Mr. Peter LloydNo central record is kept of the number of recorded cases of homicide which remain unsolved since 1960. Figures for recorded homicides where no subject was charged during the year in question are set out in the table; figures for years prior to 1979 are not available. The police are always ready to investigate unsolved murders further. Decisions about whether to pursue such investigations are operational matters for chief officers of police. The clear-up rate for homicide cases is high; in 1989 it was 92 per cent.
158W
Recorded offences of homicide where no suspects are charged Number 1979 32 1980 19 1981 24 1982 50 1983 31 1984 38 1985 34 1986 36 1987 35
Number 1988 35 1989 57