CUMBRIA needs more police officers, it has been said, after figures revealed there were just 20 bobbies on the beat for every 100,000 residents.

The chair of a group representing the county's rank-and-file officers said there were 'insufficient' police numbers in the area.

The total police workforce in Cumbria is 1,383 – which equates to 275 officers per 100,000 residents.

But only a fraction – 101 – of these are neighbourhood police officers, according to the Cumbria Police Federation.

On average, forces in England and Wales have 200 officers per 100,000 residents, below other European countries such as Germany, France, Spain and Ireland.

At the top of the list, Turkey and Greece both have over 500 officers per 100,000 people, while taly and Portugal have over 400 officers per 100,000 people, over double the numbers in England and Wales.

Ed Russell, chair of Cumbria Police Federation, described the figures as 'stark' and said changes over the last two decades had meant the demand on officers had increased.

He said: “The reality is that policing and the Criminal Justice System have become increasingly complex over the past 25 years.

"Barely any element of the service has stayed the same.

“We have seen an increase in population; the advances in digital technology have impacted almost every crime type and investigative process; the wider justice system is barely able to cope with the pressure; and the role of the police has continued to diversify, with much-needed investment in safeguarding, violence against women and girls and other key areas.

“One thing, however, has not changed. Numbers. We have fewer police officers now than we did in 2010 and only barely more than in 2000. The Conservative Government uplift programme was too little, too late.

"We have fewer police officers now than we did in 2010 and only barely more than in 2000. The Conservative Government uplift programme was too little, too late.

“The effect of this is obvious: there are insufficient numbers of officers to provide the services the public deserves.

"Policing is not a business, and it cannot be run as one. Tackling crime and anti-social behaviour cannot be managed on spreadsheets.

"It needs sufficient men and women committed to delivering for their communities and given the tools and the training to allow this to happen.”

A Home Office spokesperson: "It is this government's mission to take back our streets.

'We are committed to delivering thousands of extra neighbourhood police and community support officers, tackling anti-social behaviour and introducing tougher powers to tackle repeat offending."

They added that police officers are allocated based on the needs of each region.