Police officers in Ryedale are overworked and stressed for lack of manpower, a senior police chief has said.

Inspector Neil Burnett said the district is currently working with 11 fewer officers than it should have.

And he revealed that as a result of a lack of cover crime figures in northern Ryedale have risen over the last year.

Last year the Evening Press highlighted the fact that there was no police cover in northern Ryedale after 1am - a problem which has not yet been resolved.

"We are a victim of our own success - because we have low crime figures we tend not to get as much of a share of resources as other areas with higher crime," said Inspector Burnett.

"But this means that the officers who do work in the area do a lot of hours and have to cover more shifts.

"My concern is that it could have a detrimental effect on their health."

But he said a lack of resources was a problem which was apparent across North Yorkshire.

"Statistics show that crime is low across the county's rural areas - the high levels of crime in places like York and Scarborough mean they get more resources."

An example of this trend was the fact that out of a batch of recent recruits to the county's force just one constable was assigned to Ryedale, he said.

Despite Inspector Burnett's concerns about the health of his officers, recent figures are healthy.

In southern Ryedale, Malton and Norton crime has dropped 18 per cent since last year.

"We have seen a reduction in the amount of shed and house burglaries in this area and that seems to have contributed to it," he said.

But in northern Ryedale - Pickering, Helmsley and Thornton-le-Dale - crime has increased by roughly 22 per cent over the last year.

"This is directly related to the fact that there is not enough manpower up there," said Inspector Burnett.

"Over the last year there have been recurrences of crimes which have had a disproportional effect on the overall figures.

"We have had quite a few incidents of deception and vandalism."

Inspector Burnett added that one surprising result to come out of the latest figures - which has left the force 'stumped' - is that fear of crime in Ryedale is high and rising.

"This is just as much as concern for us and we are looking at various ways in which we can tackle this issue," he said.

Updated: 08:21 Tuesday, May 29, 2001