I FEEL I must comment on a paragraph of your editorial 'sort out police resources' (April 24) which is factually incorrect.

While it is hoped to obtain improvements through reallocation "the authority's budget provides for the maintenance of existing staffing levels during 2002/3" at a cost of £91.04 million, which is six per cent above 2001/2 (see the printed statement enclosed with the precept demand).

The remainder of the 41.5 per cent increase relates to police pensions, replenishing the reserve for major incidents and so forth, and making up the Government shortfall not an improvement in policing.

You may feel that the following facts ought to be more widely known.

Every one per cent shortfall in Government funding needs a five per cent increase in the amount levied in the precept. Since 1996/7, the police precept has increased from £55.42 to £108.28, or 95.4 per cent. In the same period the authority's budget has increased from £69.4m to £93.1m or only 34 per cent. The difference is presumably the gradual reduction in the Government's contribution.

Government support for police spending rose by 6.2 per cent this year but most has been held centrally to pay for national bodies such as the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service etc. In the case of North Yorkshire, they will receive slightly less than last year.

G W Foulger,

Kingsclere,

Huntington, York.

Updated: 10:08 Thursday, May 02, 2002