A total of 65 per cent of crimes committed in Watford and the surrounding area have not been solved, the Observer can reveal.

Despite assurances from Hertfordshire Constabulary that the county is becoming safer, figures obtained in a Freedom of Information request show hundreds of people have been raped, assaulted and robbed without someone being caught and successfully prosecuted.

In the past five years, detectives have failed to close 207, 039 cases across the county, ranging from murder to burglary and fraud to violent attacks.

This includes three murders, two attempted murders, five manslaughter cases, 16 kidnap cases, 660 rapes and 11,000 assaults.

From 2010 to March 2015, 39,380 of the 60,518 crimes reported in Watford, Rickmansworth, Oxhey and Bushey remain unsolved.

Elected Mayor of Watford Dorothy Thornhill said she believes the figures on a national scale would shock people, but defended Hertfordshire Constabulary.

She said: "Our police force is rated to be one of the best in the country and the detection rate is good.

"I have seen improvement year on year and yes we have the occasional blip and the odd challenging people but I also see the determination of the police and am very proud of that."

There are also 90 unsolved cases relating to sexual assault with a boy under the age of 13, and 83 girls under the age of 13 have still not seen their rapists bought to justice.

In Watford, 23,044 of 37, 883 crimes remain unsolved. Chief Inspector for Watford, Dave Wheatley said: "Watford has a high detection rate, which can be attributed to the teams of officers and detectives who are all dedicated to apprehending those responsible for committing crimes in the borough, with the ultimate aim of keeping the town’s crime rates low.

"But we want to prevent crime from happening in the first place, hence the strong emphasis in Watford around protecting those who are most vulnerable to crime.

"We also work closely with partners in Watford Borough Council and other agencies who form part of the Safer Watford Community Safety Partnership. This strong partnership working further bolsters our ability to react to crime trends and protect our communities."

In Rickmansworth, 8,197 of 11,309 crimes remain undetected. Chief Inspector for Three Rivers, Deirdre Dent said: "We review our crimes on a daily basis to ensure no opportunity is missed to detect a crime and ultimately provide a good quality of service to the public.

"The teams work together on investigations, for example detectives from the local crime unit will work alongside Safer Neighbourhood officers, who can provide specific local knowledge, and ensure that nothing is missed when investigating a crime.

"We always work closely with victims to ensure a case gets to the courts, however sometimes we do get reports of crimes where the victims simply want to let us know that something has happened, but they will not support police action. We have a duty to record these, but we know it will never be detected. However, those crimes are also reviewed and if we can put some additional support in place by referring the victim to alternative agencies, we will do so to provide them a quality service."

Have you been a victim of crime and were you satisfied with the way it was dealt with? Contact the Watford Observer at editor@watfordobserver.co.uk