New figures have revealed the tough battle police in the Cotswolds are facing.

Statistics from the Home Office reveal that police in the Cotswolds were unable to identify a suspect in a residential burglary in more than nine in 10 (93.5 per cent) of cases closed in the area.

In 369 cases that were closed by police for residential burglaries in the area between January 1, 2017, to November 18, 2018, a suspect was only charged or summonsed in 11 of the cases, with police failing to identify a suspect in 345 closed cases.

One case was ‘taken into consideration’ where a court may take outstanding offences into consideration, in two cases it was deemed that further investigation was not in the public interest, and in four cases the investigation is still ongoing.

Cotswolds Inspector Karen Ellis accepts that the figures may appear alarming, but she believes that the area is one of low crime and is a safe place in which to live and work.

Mayor of Cirencester Nigel Robbins said: “Our police officers do a good job in encouraging and advising people how best to protect their property.

“They have a good knowledge of the regular criminal fraternity. But this doesn’t appear to stop people from trying it on, seizing opportunities, feeding a drug habit or just desperate for cash.

“Presumably this is because police are thin on the ground, dealing with domestic abuse issues or cyber crime, so that the opportunists think they can get away undetected. These figures are not going to help. Is burglary no longer considered a basic crime?”

Inspector Ellis said: “The number of residential burglaries in the Cotswold policing area shows as an increase, but it’s really important to recognise that the numbers reported have increased due to the change in crime recording categories which now include sheds/garages and outbuildings in the classification of residential burglaries.

“The general profile of offenders committing burglaries in the Cotswolds is different to general offenders in the urban areas in that the crimes are often more sophisticated and committed by organised crime groups from outside of Gloucestershire.

“Whilst there are organised crime groups from within our county there are several very active ones travelling some considerable distances to commit crime in the Cotswolds and this presents challenges and also requires the maintenance of the good cross boundary working relationships with our neighbouring forces.

“These factors do result in a low detection rate and all opportunities to address this are regularly explored and reviewed.

“Criminal justice procedures can be lengthy and as a result some of our recent arrests/disruption work cannot be shared and isn’t reflected in the statistics at this time but there is work ongoing to address some of the recent crime issues.

The police force are fighting a tough battle, with resources for officers dwindling amid funding pressures which have already seen cuts of £30million.

Figures released by the Home Office in August 2017 revealed how there are now nearly 250 fewer PCs in the county than a decade ago.

“These are challenging times and the number of police officers have reduced but we are always examining our working practices to enable us to be as efficient and effective as possible, “Inspector Ellis explained.

“The dedicated Neighbourhood Policing Team for the Cotswolds consists of highly motivated officers who are passionate about their policing areas and are keen to address local concerns and tackle crime trends supported with local response and investigation teams.

“These officers have been given designated areas and therefore are able to work with communities to build relationships and develop intelligence in relation to ongoing crime issues.

“As the inspector responsible for policing in the Cotswolds I really care about the level of service and response we give to the public and strive for it to be the best we can provide.”