Police officers don't have the option of going out on strike. So last night's resounding vote by members of North Yorkshire Police Federation against chief constable David Kenworthy's proposals to alter shifts to cope with staff shortages is about as close as they can get to outright rebellion.

British police, justifiably, have the reputation for being some of the best in the world and the blue-clad officer on the beat is a reassuringly familiar part of our society.

But it has been a difficult period for the North Yorkshire force. The sexual harassment scandals tarnished the reputation of what has always been an excellent force, and recently there have been growing concerns about staffing levels and warnings the thin blue line in the county is stretched near to breaking point. Morale, some say, is at an all-time low.

Mr Kenworthy came into the job 18 months ago with a mission to get the force back on track.

Three months ago in an interview in this newspaper he admitted it was not going to be easy. He conceded that the force was facing a huge cash shortfall and that it was under-resourced.

But he said then he was not prepared to go cap-in-hand to the Government asking for more cash until he was satisfied the force was making the best use of the resources it had. That was still not happening, he said.

On the evidence of last night, it appears that he may have changed his way of thinking.

There is a danger here, though. Three months is not a long time. If Mr Kenworthy was not satisfied three months ago the force was making the best use of all its resources, it is unlikely that much has changed since.

There is the risk that he has been steamrollered into going to the Government for more cash before he is really ready - and that Jack Straw will simply turn round and tell him to put his house in order first.

Front line officers need to be aware of that risk - just as Mr Kenworthy himself needs to understand the depth of unhappiness within the ranks.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.