LIKE any big town, Reading sees a fair amount of crime throughout a 12-month period.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) work to investigate each case, but what happens next?

New figures have revealed what the most common outcome is for local reportings of crime, and the answer may surprise you.

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Data from Police.UK shows that most crimes committed in central Reading from October 2019 to September 2020 end up with no suspect identified.

We have rounded up all of the most common outcomes after a crime is reported in Reading.

Crime outcomes in Reading:

1. Investigation complete - no suspect identified

The data reveals that a majority (34.9 per cent) of Reading's reported cases end up with this result.

Throughout the period, a total of 1,993 suspects were unable to be identified,

2. Unable to prosecute suspect

The second most common outcome for the town's reported crimes is inability to prosecute the suspect.

Throughout the 12 months, this was the case for 1,322 crimes (23.1 per cent).

3. Under investigation

Lots of crimes also remain under investigation, with many cases needing a lengthier timeframe to reach a conclusion.

From the period in question, 723 crimes are still under investigation (12.6 per cent).

4. Other

The next most common outcome was "other", accounting for 610 crimes in the 12-months (10.7 per cent).

According to the Police.UK site, there are several reasons why this unclear outcome is given.

The site provides an up-to-date picture of where some antisocial behaviour incidents recorded by the police have occurred at street level but it is not yet possible to show what happened afterwards.

This is because, unlike recorded crimes which are investigated by the police, a number of local agencies work together to respond to antisocial behaviour, and this set up varies across the country.

5. Status update unavailable

Another ambiguous outcome, this is the current "outcomes" for 462 reported crimes reported during the time in question (8.1 per cent).

Police.UK explains that, for technical reasons, some crimes which go to the courts cannot yet be matched to an outcome.

The number of court outcomes that can be shown varies from area to area due to the different IT systems in place across the country.

Criminal justice agencies have had to retrospectively make their IT systems compatible.

The Ministry of Justice is working with police forces to match outcomes to all crimes that go to court, and forces expect the level of information to improve over time as new IT systems and solutions are introduced.

Reading Chronicle:

Outcomes from October 2019 - September 2020, as shown in a Police.UK graphic

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Why are so many crimes shown as unresolved?

Police.UK offers an explanation as to why most crimes don't seem to have a clear outcome according to the stats.

The site reads: "The police and the Crown Prosecution Service have to make an assessment of the evidence available, whether it is witness, forensic or even hearsay.

"In circumstances where there is insufficient evidence, the decision may be taken to focus resources on those offences which are capable of being charged and prosecuted.

"There might be a number of reasons why no further action was possible.

"Some cases are just undetectable. However, cases can be reopened if more evidence becomes available."