IN THE past, the issue of bobbies on the beat has been an election pledge from our main political parties.

Sadly, our current Government’s cuts means the police force instead does not have a few bob spare to boost numbers.

In fact it needs to save £21m over the next three years.

It does not take a member of CID to realise having already hacked £24m from the budget, there are few places left where the axe can swing.

Thames Valley Police should be praised for managing so far to take on the cuts while not affecting frontline staff.

Many forces have had to cull officers so the fact those bobbies still left patrolling your neighbourhoods have not been removed is testament to some difficult but effective accountancy.

But the warning is clear – the boys in blue cannot cope with another round of cuts.

The meat has been trimmed to the bone, and any further restrictions will suck the marrow from our force.

The result will be an under-staffed and under-resourced police force attempting to continue the remarkable drop in crime rates it has overseen.

Now is the time for our elected Police and Crime Commissioner Anthony Stansfeld to show his colours.

He needs to stand up to the Government and deliver a message saying ‘enough is enough’.

He needs to fight tooth and nail to protect our force. If he does not, questions about the impotency of the post will naturally follow.