Clearance / unsolved
Most youth-linked files never result in a resolved proceeding
Clearance here means a recorded offence has an outcome (charge, warning, alternative action, or otherwise closed). Property crime drives the unsolved share; violence and drugs clear at much higher rates. Ethnicity splits are only available where Police publish unique-ethnicity outcomes.
Unsolved, latest year
68%
Share of youth-related recorded crime without a clearance.
Lowest clearance
Burglary 12%
Unlawful entry remains the hardest high-volume group to clear.
Highest clearance
Drugs 72%
Detection-led offending clears because the proceeding is the detection.
Overall clearance, 2016–2025
Youth-related recorded crime
Unsolved share by offence group
Latest compiled year
Clearance by unique ethnicity
Where ethnicity of the proceeded person is recorded, not of the unsolved file
10 rows
| Category | Cleared % | Unsolved % |
|---|---|---|
| Theft & related | 18.4 | 81.6 |
| Unlawful entry / burglary | 12.1 | 87.9 |
| Acts intended to cause injury | 54.6 | 45.4 |
| Robbery / extortion | 41.2 | 58.8 |
| Property damage | 16.8 | 83.2 |
| Illicit drugs | 72.4 | 27.6 |
| Sexual assault & related | 28.9 | 71.1 |
| Public order | 68.1 | 31.9 |
| Traffic & vehicle | 61.5 | 38.5 |
| Other | 34 | 66 |