MORE than 80 per cent of crimes reported in Oxford during the first half of the year have not been solved by police, the Oxford Mail can reveal.

An investigation by the Mail found that of 6791 crimes reported from January to the end of June, 5599 of them have been recorded as 'unsolved'.

And out of 13,985 incidents brought to the force's attention during the whole of last year, 10,861 went unsolved.

Anthony Stansfeld, police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley Police, said the figures concerned him.

He said: "The figures involved may include cases which are still under investigation or where charges may have already been made, however, unsolved crime is of course a concern to me.

"Thames Valley Police, like all other forces, have seen some significant changes over the last few years with cuts to their government funding and more complex cases and issues such as historic crime, missing people and vulnerability becoming a bigger part of policing workload.

"Despite these challenges the force has managed to keep crime levels low and has successfully investigated many serious and complex cases, bringing the offenders to justice."

Oxford Mail:

Despite the savings, the force still has to save £15.6m this financial year, taking the total to £85m of cuts since 2011.

More complex cases such as historic crimes and missing people creating larger workload, have also been given as reasons for the small number of cases cracked.

And over the next few years, 100 police officer posts, 100 staff and between 70-80 PCSOs will be cut from the force.

The number of officers has fallen from 4,412 in 2010 to 4,244 at present.

In September 2015, police said only just over a quarter of crimes were solved for the year in Oxfordshire.

The director of a victim support charity said the number of crimes marked as unsolved in Oxford was a 'shaming disgrace'.

Marilyn Hawes, director of Enough Abuse UK, an organisation which supports abuse victims, said the way the system is set up meant complainants 'fall down the gaps'.

Ms Hawes questioned the impact unsolved crimes had on the general public feeling secure in the county.

She added: "Funding cuts are a massive issue. All crimes are suffering because of cuts. Police need far greater resource and effective training.

"There is also the issue of criteria and thresholds. They are all different between social services, Police and the Crown Prosecution Service.

"Victims fall down the gaps and therefore this will also affect the number of those charged."

Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld vowed to 'monitor' the performance of the Thames Valley Police and placed an emphasis on solving crimes.

He added he hoped the use of technology, such as body worn video and GPS tagging for those on bail, would help in increasing the number of crimes resolved.

Former TVP chief constable Sara Thornton said in 2015 it was unlikely there would be ‘bobbies on the beat’ in the future.

She said budget cuts and the changing nature of criminality meant police in England and Wales had to prioritise.

She said it "could be" that if an iPad was stolen from a home an officer would not come round to investigate.

Some categories Thames Valley Police use for unsolved crimes include offences in which as suspect is not identified, is identified but is too ill, dead, young to give evidence or to prosecute.

Others include where there are difficulties with evidence, crimes still under investigation and where police decide action is not in the public interest.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: "In some cases, it is not possible or appropriate for the force to prosecute people.

This can be for a number of reasons, including evidential difficulties, other agencies dealing with the incidents, and further action not being in the public interest.

"Thames Valley Police officers are committed to tackling and reducing crime and we have robust resources in place to do that.

"Members of the public should feel confident that when a crime is reported, our officers will investigate, the public will be protected, and where possible offenders will be prosecuted and brought to justice."

LPA commander for Oxford Supt Joe Kidman said the force was much better at recording crime.

He added: "It's not about hitting targets. It's about the quality of service we provide."

The Oxford Mail approached Thames Valley Police chief constable Francis Habgood for comment, but he did not wish to reply.