THE number of police recruits in North Yorkshire has soared by 578 per cent -- the second largest rise in the country.

The figures, released today, show 61 recruits entered residential training in 2000/01.

This compared with only nine in the previous twelve months.

Labour MPs hailed the rise -- which compares with an increase of about 77 per cent nationally.

But opposition MPs said the new statistics did not give a complete picture of the state of the force.

They said the Government had not revealed how many officers had left during the same period.

And they argued that record rises would be needed for many years to repair the damage done to police numbers since Labour was elected in 1997.

According to the latest statistics, released earlier this year, North Yorkshire has 38 fewer officers than when Labour came to power.

York MP and social security minister Hugh Bayley said the sharp rise in recruitment was clear evidence Labour was fulfilling its pledge to increase

police numbers.

He added: "Under the Tories, the number of police officers in North Yorkshire fell and crime rose.

"What these figures show is that we are meeting our promise to recruit more officers.

"I would expect to see these figures have a knock-on effect on the overall number of police in North Yorkshire."

Ryedale Tory MP John Greenway, himself a former policeman, said the increase was welcome.

But he added: "We are still a long way from having the stability of numbers and manpower which we need.

"We must also remember these are only the figures for recruitment -- there is still a major problem with retention.

"We do not know how many officers are going out of the other end."

According to the latest figures, the number of police officers in England and Wales has fallen by 1,621 nationally since March 1997.

However it did increase by 990 in the four months to January 2001, and the Government is confident it has turned the corner.

Updated: 12:06 Monday, April 23, 2001