MORE bobbies on the beat - the plea of North Yorkshire residents for years. And it remains a priority, as today's survey of public opinion confirms.

This does not mean an increase in motorised patrols. Officers comfortably ensconced behind the wheel take in far less than those on foot, and are little threat to the criminal who knows the snickleways and hidden corners better than most.

The police who walk their patch not only understand it better, they make more friends in the community. In the age of the mobile command platform, this may seem touchingly old fashioned. But scientists have yet to design a gadget which gathers intelligence better than the traditional method - talking to people.

As for residents' fear of crime, said to be far higher than is justified by the offending rate, nothing offers greater reassurance than the sight of a pair of police officers striding down the street.

All these benefits have been taken on board by North Yorkshire Police. Residents have already noticed more community support officers on the streets. Further progress will be made with the expansion of neighbourhood policing teams, a particularly welcome development.

While it would be folly to suggest that every byway of this vast county could enjoy regular foot patrols, there is no doubt that residents would wish more of the force's cash mountain were spent on bringing more bobbies to their community.

This desire takes on a new urgency as it becomes clearer that North Yorkshire Police is soon to be subsumed in a large regional force. Its priorities will centre on the crime hotspots of Leeds and Bradford. That is why we need more officers dedicated to North Yorkshire now.

Updated: 10:25 Tuesday, March 14, 2006