Prices at the pumps have leveled off after recently plummeting in price. Here is where it is cheapest in Gloucester.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the supermarkets are dominating the price war.
According to petrolprices.com the cheapest petrol is at these sites:
The gap between first and fourth in the Premier League is substantial. Anyone in any doubt will have had those thoughts dispelled by Chelsea's routine 2-0 win over West Ham at Stamford Bridge today.
In the first half in particular Sam Allardyce's surprise Champions League contenders were chasing shadows for a lot of the time and Jose Mourinho's side really should have gone in more than one goal to the good at the break.
Frustratingly for the Hammers the goal came from a corner with John Terry getting the decisive touch almost on the goal line. Allardyce has built much of his managerial reputation on his teams' prowess at set-pieces and to see the Premier League leaders win two headers in the box will have been a big disappointment to him.
In truth Chelsea had the chances to seal the points in the opening 45 minutes. Oscar missed a great chance early on and on another day Diego Costa would have gone into half-time with at least one more goal to his name.
The Spanish centre-forward did get his name on the scoresheet in the second half, wriggling clear of three West Ham defenders before shooting left-footed across goal into the far corner for his 13th in 15 Premier League games.
That goal in the 62nd minute was tough on West Ham who had started the second period brightly.
They had just sent on substitutes Diafra Sakho and Alex Song and looked as though they had a chance of getting a goal.
That will be the disappointment for West Ham fans. They looked a much better side with Song in the midfield and supporters will be wondering what might have been had the former Arsenal star played from the start.
In all liklihood the result would have been the same. Allardyce clearly had one eye on Sunday's game at home to Arsenal but Mourinho paid the Hammers the compliment of playing his strongest side from the start. Should Allardyce have done the same thing?
The result may have been the same but Chelsea would surely have been made to work harder for the points.
A six vehicle crash has left a woman in a life-threatening condition.
The 38-year-old woman, from Ross-on-Wye, was taken to Southmead hospital in Bristol, where she had surgery.
The incident happened around 7pm on the M5 north bound, between junction 13, Stroud and junction 12, Gloucester South.
A white Citroen Berlingo van, a Mercedes saloon car, a silver Peugeot estate car, two Honda hatchbacks and a small Toyota hatchback were involved in the pile up.
The 38-year-old was driving the Citroen van.
The occupants of the other vehicles involved sustained a range of injuries, which were not deemed to be life threatening or serious, according to police.
The woman still remains in a critical condition.
Officers have now launched an investigation and witness appeal. If you saw anything that evening, call Gloucestershire Constabulary on 101, quoting incident 340 of December 24.
Top Gloucestershire trainer Tom George was celebrating today after enjoying a big-race win at Kempton.
Stellar Notion eased to victory in the William Hill - Download The App Novices' Limited handicap Chase.
The Roger Brookhouse-owned gelding went off as 4-1 joint favourite and impressed on his way round the two-and-a-half mile circuit, jumping well under jockey Paddy Brennan.
He finished a length and a half clear of Knock House and a further length in front of Generous Ransom.
George believes Stellar Notion goes well in different conditions and that he can go further than two and a half miles.
He said: "He's done nothing wrong and the only time he was beaten over hurdles was when we tried to hold him up.
"He'll go on softish ground, is very happy on good ground and is the type of horse that ticks all the right boxes.
"He's only a baby, and still improving, and he has that pace as well as being a terrific jumper. He's definitely a Cheltenham prospect, and we can always go back to two miles if needs be."
The big race of the day - the William Hill King George VI Chase - was won by the Paul Nicholls-trained Silviniaco Conti.
Bouncing bundles of festive joy brought parents the perfect gift.
The maternity ward at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital was as busy as ever on Christmas Day with 11 new arrivals.
Among them was little Leighton Howard-Lyon-Smith, the first-born son for Rebecca and Richard from Cinderford.
Rebecca said: "He is my first and last. I was in labour for three days but it was definitely worth the wait.
"It feels weird now he is not inside me. My older sister was also born on Christmas Day. It will be an expensive time of year."
Leighton was born at 2.49pm and weighed 7lb 5oz.
Jolene Stewart from Robinswood gave birth to her little daughter, weighing 7lb 15oz, at 7pm.
She said: "We haven't named her yet. My waters broke on Tuesday and I was waiting and waiting and she arrived on Christmas Day. She looks the spitting image of my other daughter Shayanah."
Kimmy Smith from Gloucester gave birth to her first daughter Betty Cameron, who was 7lb 7oz, at 12.27pm.
Kimmy said: "She wasn't due until January 4. I was hoping for one last, quiet Christmas.
"The pain started at 4am, my waters broke at 6.30am and I arrived at hospital at 8.30am.
"My partner James' daughter Leigha is so excited about her sister."
Delighted dad Ichim Daniel and his partner Georgjana Mitocrau were waiting to go home with their first child, daughter Andreea Dan- iela, who weighed in at 6lb 10oz, and was born at 4.40am.
Ichim, from Gloucester, said: "It's an amazing feeling to become a dad. It is the best Christmas present.
"It is going to be a really exciting Christmas and I can't wait to get home for that. The whole family is waiting to welcome her and it is an incredible feeling.
"The staff here were very good, they really took care of us."
Merthyr Town 4 Cinderford Town 0
CINDERFORD Town suffered a Boxing Day thumping at Southern League Division One South and West league leaders Merthyr Town.
John Brough's side went into the game on good form with just one defeat in their previous eight league games to sit just outside the play-offs but the title favourites proved too strong.
Former Southampton striker Kayne McLaggon put the Martyrs in front on 41 minutes before they added three goals in the final 21 minutes in front of a crowd of 703 – the biggest attendance in the division this season, beating Merthyr's previous best of 473.
Jarrad Wright scored Merthyr's second on 69 minutes before Ian Traylor put the game out of Cinderford's reach three minutes later and Ryan Prosser completed the rout in the 88th minute.
Shortwood United 0 Larkhall Athletic 2
SHORTWOOD United suffered their first home Southern League Division One South and West defeat of the season against play-off chasing rivals Larkhall Athletic.
The Nailsworth outfit were the only side in the division not to lose on their own patch this season but Larkhall ended their unbeaten record.
Tyler Sibbick scored both goals for the visitors, breaking the deadlock in the first half before being set up by Joe Tumelty to double their advantage early in the second half.
Larkhall held on to move above Shortwood in the table.
Shortwood's next game is away to Cinderford on New Year's Day.
Gloucester City 2
Brackley Town 1
JOE Parker's stoppage time heroics secured Gloucester City a priceless victory against strugglers Brackley Town to leapfrog the club out of the relegation zone in Conference North, writes Simon Clark.
Brackley had taken an early lead after Tigers captain Jack Harris slotted into his own net, but spent the second half a man down with Tom Sharp dismissed with a straight red card.
In heavy rain, Tim Harris' side equalised through the head of Chris Knowles, netting his first goal for the club.
He could have added a second minutes later, but Dwayne Samuels, and the mud somehow stopped the midfielder on the line.
The continuous bombardment finally paid off with Jamie Lucas peeling off his defender to slot past Dan Farrell. The ball stuck in the mud a metre out, but Parker was there to prod home.
Heavy rain battered Whaddon Road as Ebby Nelson-Abby tested Jasbir Singh early with a wicked shot which the keeper clawed away.
A scrappy opening saw a scrappy goal as skipper Harris accidentally hooked the ball into his own net after former City loanee Connor Waldon played into the near post.
Brackley's debutant goalkeeper Farrell was troubled by a looping cross by George Miller as the wind started picking up.
Farrell was called into action once more, Matt Williams stabbing at the goal in the area causing him to push away theatrically.
With the momentum in City's direction, Tom Sharp brought down Charlie Griffin and was dismissed for a straight red as he was last man, leaving Brackley with a disadvantage for the second half. So began the Tigers onslaught with George Miller and Griffin both firing warning shots.
The equaliser came through the head of Knowles, who somehow found himself in the perfect place to nestle Billy Jones' cross in the far corner among a melee of players.
Nathan Modest shot wide, before Knowles came inches from a second – Samuels blocking on the line and hacking away in the marshy goalmouth.
The skill of Modest left three players in his wake as Ryan Austin blocked en route to goal, with Knowles blasting a bicycle kick over from the resulting corner.
Farrell parried the ball dangerously under pressure, with City's attacking trio hounding Brackley at every opportunity.
With minutes remaining, Parker produced a sensational save from the keeper, before a back pass let Jones cannon an effort off a defender from eight yards with Knowles' rebound somehow scrambled clear.
Deep into injury time loanee Lucas found himself space to shoot past the outcoming Farrell, the ball stuck firm in the mud a metre out with Parker there to finally add Gloucester's second.
Gloucester City: J. Singh, M. Green, B. Jones, J. Harris, M. Williams, G. Miller, L. Hall (T. Webb 46), C. Knowles, C. Griffin, J. Parker, N. Modest (J. Lucas 78). Subs not used: M. Richards, S. Avery, M. Groves
Brackley Town: D. Farrell, D. Samuels, C. Curruthers, Eddie Odihambo, T. Sharp, R. Austin, E. Nelson Abby, S. Whittle, R. Rowe, C. Waldon (G. Kaziboni 76), D. Moyo (S. Pierpoint 44). Subs not used: M. Built, Eric Odihambo, J. Curtis
Attendance: 326
Star man: Chris Knowles
MANCHESTER CITY remain hot on the heels of Premier League leaders Chelsea after winning 3-1 at West Brom this afternoon.
First half goals from Fernando, Yaya Toure, and David Silva ensured they reduced the gap at the top back to three points after Chelsea had beaten West Ham earlier in the day.
Manchester United also stayed in touch with a 3-1 win over Newcastle United, while Southampton moved into the top four with a victory by the same scoreline at Crystal Palace, who dropped into the bottom three.
Hull moved out of the relegation zone by beating Sunderland 3-1 on manager Steve Bruce's return to the Stadium of Light, but Burnley and Leicester remain in trouble after home defeats to Liverpool (1-0) and Tottenham (2-1) respectively.
Elsewhere, Everton lost 1-0 at home to Stoke City, while Swansea City beat Aston Villa 1-0.
Debbie French and her two daughters Isabelle and Abigail are our 'three French hens' for Gloucestershire's own 12 Days of Christmas. It's a time of serious excitement for the family.
Debbie, from Abbeydale, said: "The girls get really excited at Christmas, they sing the "two more sleeps to go" song from Heart FM on a regular basis, and found the wrapped presents before I had a chance to put them under the tree, they have of course felt every one trying to guess what Mummy and Daddy had bought them – I need to find a new hiding place for those next year!
"We have a rule that no one is allowed to get up when it's dark, so Christmas morning I get up and put the presents under the tree ready for their arrival downstairs. Every year the four of us go to my parent's house for Christmas Dinner in Abbeymead, with my older brother and his family, plus my 89-year-old nan also comes up from Dursley, so it's a house full with lots of exchanging gifts and food (Mummy normally starts the day with chocolate for breakfast!).
"Then we settle in for a Christmas movie in the afternoon and play games the rest of the day. I'm normally exhausted by Christmas day as we have large families, with 14 children to buy for and lots of extended family members. My side of the family get together after Christmas which is normally 24 of us, which is fun fitting them into one house."
FRANK Lampard is set to extend his stay at Manchester City until at least mid-February.
His loan spell from New York City FC expires on New Year's Eve but manager Manuel Pelligrini wants the former England international to remain at the club for longer with Yaya Toure going on African Nations Cup duty for up to five weeks in January.
Arsenal have joined Liverpool in the race to sign England international James Milner in the summer.
The former Aston Villa midfielder is currently in talks with Manchester City about his contract, which runs out at the end of the season.
If talks break down, both Arsenal and Liverpool will attempt to snap up Milner on a free transfer.
Arsenal have also been linked with Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk but Celtic are holding out for more than the £10m the Gunners were hoping to pay for his services in January.
ASSISTANT manager Dave Kevan called for a smarter approach from Forest Green after they suffered a second straight defeat in the Vanarama Conference.
An entertaining Boxing Day encounter saw Kidderminster Harriers twice come from behind to win 3-2 at the New Lawn, further denting Rovers' play-off ambitions.
Kevan said: "We're creating a lot of chances and we obviously need to convert them, but at the same time we've got to be defensively tighter and meaner.
"We would have needed to score four goals to win the game and that doesn't happen very often.
"The third (Kidderminster) goal was one where the lad should have been offside and we didn't come out quick enough and as a group, so we need to be smarter in situations like that.
"We never really sustain our pressure in games and take the opportunities to give our defenders a little respite.
"Nevertheless, we've got to expect teams to have spells in games where they are on top and we've got to deal better with that."
Kevan confirmed that forward Kurtis Guthrie missed yesterday's clash due a flu-like virus, which robbed Rovers of any proven attacking option on the bench.
Manager Ady Pennock is known to be in the market for a striker in January, and his number two admitted the squad needs freshening up.
"We were little bit light in terms of changing things from an attacking point of view," Kevan said.
"It was the kind of game where you felt a little change might get us a goal and push us on to win it.
"We're annoyed and frustrated but it's a quick turnaround and we've got a chance to put things right at Wrexham on Sunday.
"I still think there are enough points to play for in terms of the play-offs. We haven't lost many games and every one we have has been by the odd goal.
"No team has dominated us, so we've got to cut out the silly errors at the back and be more clinical at the other end."
Influential defender Danny Coles is likely to miss tomorrow's trip to Wrexham after picking up a calf injury against Kidderminster.
Gloucestershire looks like avoiding a blanketing of the white stuff for the weekend.
Latest Met Office forecasts include yellow weather warnings for Saturday morning as freezing overnight temperatures have left some patches of ice on roads.
Further north, motorists in Yorkshire had to abandon their cars amid heavy snowfall yesterday and parts of the West Midlands were hit too.
The latest forecast for Gloucester and the south west:
A mix of sunny spells and some showers for many, these perhaps wintry over the Moors. Also lighter winds for most, but remaining breezy along north facing coasts. Feeling cold. Maximum Temperature 7C.
Any remaining showers gradually dying away overnight. With clear spells and light winds, a widespread frost is likely, with the risk of ice, and perhaps a few freezing fog patches. Minimum Temperature -2C.
For many it is likely to be dry with light winds and some sunny spells. However remaining cold with widespread overnight frost returning after dusk and some freezing fog patches. Maximum Temperature 6C.
For many it is likely to be dry with light winds and some bright or clear periods. However remaining cold with widespread overnight frosts and some freezing fog patches.
Wondering what's round the corner entertainment-wise for 2015?
ITV is set to relaunch the classic Thunderbirds series with new show Thunderbirds Are Go!
The show will blend computer-generated animation with traditional live-action models, with Rosamund Pike providing the voice of Lady Penelope.
The new show will air as 26 episodes, with a cast also including Fonejacker's Kayvan Novak and Game of Thrones' Thomas Brodie-Sangster, with the original voice of Parker, David Graham, reprising his role.
On Boxing Day, it was two years since the show's original creator Gerry Anderson died. His son Jamie lives near Stroud. Both have been supporters of the Alzheimer's Society's annual Memory Walk in Gloucestershire.
Savage attackers cost a young Tredworth man his three front teeth in an apparently unprovoked beating just before Christmas.
The 23-year-old victim, who asked not to be named, was travelling home in a taxi from a Christmas party in Newent when he was unexpectedly dropped off in Barton Street, Gloucester in the early hours of December 21.
The recent University of Gloucestershire graduate remembers little from the incident, including why he found himself in Barton Street at around 2.30am, but was assaulted by three people.
He lost three teeth, suffered a severely bruised lip and a grazed chin before being knocked out.
"Next thing I know I was being dragged out onto the road in Barton Street and after that I was on the floor spitting blood," he said.
"I was on the floor being kicked, I tried to get back up but they knocked me back down and that was it for me."
He woke up two-and-a-half hours later and was forced to crawl to a nearby friend's home, where they rushed him to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital.
"By the time I got to my friend's house I realised I was covered in my own blood and had three missing teeth," he said.
"I was scared and pretty shaken up."
He was taken to Roger Moore Dental Practice where he was given the crushing news that teeth implants would cost £4,500. But the season of good will and generosity has gone some way to helping him get over the attack.
Dental practice owner Mr Moore decided to do the expensive works for cost price of only a few hundred pounds, with the company providing the implants also saying it would only charge material costs.
"I was worried about spending the rest of my life without my front teeth because I knew how much implants are and they are very expensive. I didn't think I could afford them," the victim said.
Dr Moore said it would have been "criminal" to give him the other option of dentures for the rest of his life.
"He is only 23-years-old and he has got the whole of his life ahead of him," he said.
"If he had lost them because he didn't brush his teeth or it was his own fault then fair enough but I couldn't leave him like that."
The man said he was very thankful to Dr Moore and his team.
"If it wasn't for their kindness, understanding and decency as a whole, my Christmas would have been completely ruined, not just for me but for my family too," he said.
Police would like to talk to the taxi driver giving the man a lift that night.
Anyone with information should call 101 quoting incident number 134 of December 21 and crime number 30032/14.
Ronan Keating is wrong. People don't say it best when they say nothing at all; they just mean it's really hard work to make them seem more interesting than a kiwi fruit.
Fortunately however, in this PR-savvy media conscious post-Leverson world we inhabit, there are always musicians who generally couldn't give a figgy pudding what comes out of their mouth.
As a result they're generally engaging, charismatic and most importantly, very quotable.
Stuart Walby, guitarist and band manager of Cheltenham cover band The Chip Shop Boys, is a prime example.
In our past encounters he's cheekily accused Kylie Minogue of pinching their recording slot at Abbey Road studios and found time to have a pop at DJ Tony Blackburn who, by all accounts, was a bit full of himself.
His confident, straight-talking nature is endearing – there's not an ounce of ego with it – but it has landed him in hot water occasionally.
Recently he became embroiled in a Twitter spat with up-and-coming boyband Union J of X Factor fame.
It started – as one presumes all cat fights do – at the Hairdresser of the Year awards in London where 1,500 people gathered for the evening.
Stu was supporting his wife Lisa who runs Francesco hair salon in Cheltenham and, as a finalist, was in the running for an award.
"The ceremony was nuts," Stu, who lives in Up Hatherley, said. "James Corden was the host and Union J were the band.
"They walked out and everyone was going crazy and I thought 'who are these guys?' as I don't watch X Factor.
"I thought they were going to be rubbish but they sung live and they were absolutely brilliant."
Then something bizarre happened. As the crowd grew restless the lead singer of the band took it upon himself – without any prompting – to publicly announce his sexuality. "The lead singer suddenly looked around the room and said 'sorry ladies, I'm gay'," said Stu.
"Everyone just looked at each other and thought 'who asked him?, is he being sarcastic?"
"So I put it on Twitter that nobody could give a f*** and then their fan club retweeted it and then he retweeted it and then he replied to his half a million followers."
Suddenly Stu found himself caught in the middle of a frenzy.
"I had all these 13-year-olds tweeting me saying 'do you two like each other?' They were basically looking for a fight.
"Every morning when these kids were obviously on the bus and then at about 3.15pm after school it was carnage on my Twitter feed."
We're catching up over a cuppa at Eagle Tower in Montpellier and Stu is looking as tired as you might expect anyone who had played a gig in Swindon until 1am the previous night.
It's often like this, the dad-of-two says; it's become a way of life.
"Just as you're winding down and you should be going to bed with your Horlicks, you find yourself walking into a room with 300 people.
"Then you get home at 2am in the morning and you can't wind down so I'll just do something really boring like soduku to switch the brain off.
"Then a truck will wake me up at seven in the morning and it'll be 'come on daddy wake up'."
He wouldn't complain in the slightest though; he's part of a seven-piece band who seem genuinely humbled by their own achievements.
Despite their hectic schedule – this year they've had 142 gigs including an
Abbey Road studio set and nearly 80 weddings – their passion for music doesn't seem to have diminished.
"It's been our best year from a business point of view," he says.
"And from race week to October next year we only have one Saturday left in the diary."
Before March rolls round though there's the small matter of a live session at the BBC's Maida Vale Studios and a Best of British tour in America with dates in New York, Nashville and LA. There's a gig closer to home too with their now traditional slot at
Cheltenham Town Hall to bring in 2015.
This year's theme is Moulin Rouge and Stu admits he's both excited and apprehensive.
"I'm scared to death that we're going to get there and they're going to say 'right there's an elephant costume for you and you're dressed as a windmill'," he says, laughing.
"We'll be doing a few songs from the film and the production is huge this year as they've doubled the budget. "There'll be indoor decorations, video walls and they're stripping the whole stage right back so it should be cracking."
Earlier in the year the band expanded to become seven with founding members Stuart, brother Mark and school friend Tommy joined by four others.
While the younger members of the band might be enjoying the lifestyle, for Stu and several others, priorities have changed.
"We're all family men and we're quite serious about what we do," he says. "We have followers rather than fans. "In the earlier days I was like a kid in a sweet shop and there were opportunities to meet women.
"These days though we just go home. "There's that old saying; why have burger when you have steak at home?"
His brother still gets his fair share of female attention though.
"He gets most of it as a lot of people think he looks like Gerard Butler," he says, laughing. "But I think he's more like Jimmy Nail."
Tickets for their gig on New Year's Eve are sold out. To find out where they're gigging in 2015 visit www.chipshopboys.com
Millions of wills, including by the likes of Sir Winston Churchill and Princess Diana, have been made available online.
A new database allows the public to search a government archive of 41 million wills dating back to 1858.
A £10 fee for each document applies to downloads, which should then be ready within 10 days of the order.
The database can be used to trace family history, and to view the wills of famous names including AA Milne, Alan Turing and Beatrix Potter.
It contains wills from England and Wales.
The database also includes the wills of those who died while serving in the British armed forces between 1850 and 1986.
When 12-year-old Charlie Lister started a school project on the First World War he never dreamed that he would write about a member of his family.
But the Year 8 pupil at Wycliffe Preparatory School in Stonehouse discovered that his great-great uncle was one of the 78 men from Wycliffe who fought in the Great War.
Head of history, Steve Arman, made the connection between Charlie, from Woodchester, and Edward AshtonLister.
"There was a good chance that they were related so I did a bit of research and discovered that they were," said Mr Arman. "They even share the same middle name. It made the project more special for Charlie."
The Year 8 children are researching the lives of the Old Wycliffians who served in the Great War.
Their efforts will become part of a special project spearheaded by the Imperial War Museum. It has started an archive website – www.livesofthefirstworldwar.org– to upload details of as many service people as possible.
Charlie's great great uncle Edward was in the Royal Flying Corps. He was 20 when he died while flying in France on July 4, 1915.
Brought up in Dursley, Eddie first enlisted with the 5th Gloucesters but then transferred to the Royal Flying Corps. He only served three months before his death.
Charlie researched Eddie and then wrote his paper as if he was in "Eddie's shoes". "It was interesting to write it as if I had been there and to understand what the war was like," Charlie said.
Excerpt from Charlie's piece on his great-great uncle:
"When the war broke out on August 4th 1914. I was so keen to join up but my mother didn't want me to, she had already lost my father.
"Eventfully I persuaded my mother to let me sign up. Before I knew it I was out in France, the regiment that I was in was the Royal Flying Corps, I was only a private I was glad I was doing my part in the war.
On the second of July 1915 aged 20 I became the pilot that I have always dreamed to be. Before we knew it we were fighting shadows in the middle of the night and suddenly it was not all fun and games.
"Steve and I were concentrating so hard on escaping the battleship we did not notice our left wing was down, we started to go into a frantic dive and we were disorientated. As we said our last words we both knew we were going down."
More than 20,000 crimes have gone unsolved in Gloucestershire this year.
Figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show Gloucestershire Police has responded to 25,663 crimes this year, but 20,858 of them – 81 per cent – have been closed undetected, meaning no offender has been brought to justice.
Of the offences committed in the county since January 1, 4,805 have been cracked.
In Gloucester 8,333 crimes have been committed this year, 1,484 of which have resulted in a charge or caution.
In Cheltenham, 6,696 crimes were committed and 998 solved.
The Forest of Dean saw 2,250 offences, 284 of which were cracked.
Stroud saw 3,255 crimes committed and 336 were solved.
In Tewkesbury there have been 2,285 crimes - 265 of them solved - and in the Cotswolds 272 crimes out of 2,844 were cracked.
Gloucestershire Police spokesman Chris Jackson said: "It's important to stress that these figures do not include those crimes that were solved by community resolutions and restorative justice.
"The detection rate will also fluctuate across crime categories so certain offences may have a higher number of outcomes than others, which makes looking at the overall figure simplistic.
"As you would expect we review the rates very regularly, together with crimes that occur each day and actively work to address trends or particular issues that arise.
"We don't set targets as we know this can have a detrimental effect on policing and has led in the past to officers concentrating on securing a resolution that is not in the interest of the victim or other members of the community.
"Numerous issues affect outcome rates themselves and gathering enough evidence of a high enough standard to be able to prove a crime beyond all reasonable doubt at court can be hugely challenging, which means that it is not always possible to successfully resolve a crime.
"Importantly, policing isn't just about detecting crime, but about preventing it too. Keeping people safe from harm remains our key role. It's worth stressing that crime has been falling in the county for many years now, in large part due to the work officers do to educate and inform people and businesses of how to protect themselves from crime.
"This has ultimately made the county a very safe place to live and work and this is borne out by the year on year decrease in crime over the last decade."
