More than 14,000 crimes went unsolved in Suffolk in the past year, new analysis has revealed.

In total, Suffolk Constabulary closed 14,052 cases between April 2021 and March 2022 without identifying a suspect.

A total of 49,802 offences were committed across the county during this timeframe, meaning 28.21% of crimes went unsolved.

A Suffolk Constabulary spokesman said: “Obtaining evidential material that reaches a high enough threshold for prosecution can be challenging, and without this securing a charge is not always possible.

"We work hard to ensure that all investigations are detailed and wherever possible we will seek to maximise the use of forensic evidence, witnesses and CCTV footage.

“We work very closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure appropriate decisions are made to prosecute offenders and, importantly, we regularly secure convictions of individuals.

“We’re grateful for the support from the public which is demonstrated every time we appeal for help to prevent crime or catch criminals, and just as important is the help and support from our partners across the county.”

The Liberal Democrat Party carried out the research and says the data, which comes from the British Home Office, is the result of government neglect and forces across the country should be given further resources.

Adam Robertson, of Liberal Democrats Waveney, said: “These awful figures show criminals are getting away with victimising people on an industrial scale. The Conservative party love to talk tough on crime, but they can’t even get the basics right.

“East Suffolk Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are visible, trusted and focused on cutting crime.

“The government should give forces the resources they need to make sure that every crime is investigated.

“We must reverse years of Conservative neglect that have made our communities less safe and let far too many criminals get away with it.”

Tory leadership hopeful, Liz Truss, has touched upon the issue a number of times throughout her campaign.

Earlier this week, her team said chief constables were “not cracking down as hard as they should be” on traditional crime, and were instead focused excessively on identity issues and social media.

Her campaign said a Truss administration would divert training resources and ensure officers were “policing our streets, not debates on Twitter”.

In a statement, the foreign secretary added: “It’s time for the police to get back to basics and spend their time investigating real crimes, not Twitter rows and hurt feelings.”