NORTH YORKSHIRE'S Chief Constable, Della Cannings, has been accused of going back on her predecessor's commitment to give York and Selby a greater share of police resources.

Two former members of North Yorkshire Police Authority claimed that the former Chief Constable, David Kenworthy, agreed in 2002 that the central area - which covers York and Selby - would receive a "more appropriate" proportion of the force's resources as funding increased.

Former York councillors Nick Blitz, who was a Lib Dem, and Liz Edge, who was a Labour member, said Mr Kenworthy gave the commitment at a police authority seminar in February 25, 2002, during a discussion of "formula funding".

But they said the area continued to receive a smaller share of the cake than was warranted by the amount of crime committed in it.

However, a force spokesman said today that no chief constable was bound by the policies of his or her predecessor, as policing requirements were changing all the time.

"It's our duty to ensure that policing policies and strategies change all the time in response to the changing needs of the community," he said. He also said that the number of police officers in each area should not be looked at alone, but the "whole package".

He said the central area had more civilian staff in a number of areas, including administration of justice, intelligence, scenes of crime and community support, enabling more officers to get out on the streets.

Mr Blitz, who plans to raise the issue at a police authority meeting at the Folk Hall in New Earswick later this month, said there had been concerns for years about the amount of resources allocated to the central area.

The two other areas, east and west, were allocated a larger share because of their rural geography and the large distance covered by officers, but he believed the amount of crime handled in the central area, meant it deserved more resources.

He believed that the area handled 50 per cent of North Yorkshire's crime in January, while still receiving under a third of resources.

The Chief Constable was responsible for operational matters and was entitled to take such a decision, leaving police authorities powerless to intervene. "What teeth do police authorities have when they cannot challenge on operational matters?"

Mrs Edge claimed the current funding formula was "totally unfair" to York.

She said she had attended police authority meetings "out in the sticks" and been amazed by the concerns raised, compared with the problems being experienced in York. "It was issues such as cattle rustling, noisy motorbikes in villages at night, and teenagers making a noise, not life-threatening issues," she claimed.

Ms Cannings has been in her position for 18 months.

Updated: 10:28 Wednesday, March 17, 2004