Time limit for reporting crime

[El Cid]

Crime - Most crimes do not have a time limit for reporting them.

The crimes that do have time limits are 'summary only' which means that they can only be tried at a Magistrates Court and are relatively minor offences; they must be prosecuted within 6 months (e.g. common assault, harassment and take without owners consent (TWOC)).

 

Do bear in mind that the longer the period between the incident happening and reporting the matter to the police the harder it will be for the police to gather the evidence.

 

https://www.askthe.police.uk/content/Q585.htm

 

We seem to be getting many more crimes reported, that happened many years ago.

Is it a good principle that reporting a crime straight away is the best option?

 

Silence is taken into account when someone is being questioned by the police; should silence after the crime has been committed be taken into account too?