Here Sussex's top officer writes on the pressures the force faces and the need for realism.

"I would love to put a uniformed bobby on to every street in Sussex.

But the changing nature of policing over the last 20 years means it is simply not possible.

It is unrealistic to expect us to attend to the huge rise in 999 calls and general calls, and investigate the increases in reported crime, while maintaining the levels of visible patrols which people want and we want to provide.

This is not an excuse, just an explanation.

The cherished folk image of the police so well-rooted in our collective memories needs to be brought up to date.

Some of the associated expectations we all have of the service unwittingly demoralise the men and women who work within it.

A better-informed, more balanced view needs to be developed. A view which looks realistically at what we can do after taking into account the huge increased number of jobs we now carry out.

With the recent welcome increased investment (local taxes raised) we in Sussex Police and the Sussex Police Authority are doing all we can to restore true local policing in Sussex.

This is beginning to work and we know we have much more to do. There are now hundreds more uniformed staff available in our communities than when I was appointed last year.

Police stations have been re-opened and the opening hours of the others have been extended (25,000 extra hours in fact).

Neighbourhood Police Teams are now established within new district commands.

But, if my postbag is anything to go by, our changes have not yet fully impacted on people's perceptions. In 2004/2005 we want to further increase patrols by significant expansion of uniformed patrol staff, especially police community support officers.

Regarding the call for more bobbies on the beat I have to ask: Was there ever a golden age when an officer stood on every street corner?

The debate needs to be better informed. Let's compare the early 1980s with today.

The police service is as keen as ever it was, yet people are very unhappy. So what has changed?

In the last 20 years or so:

The population of England and Wales has grown from 50 million to 52.5 million. Police numbers are up from 120,000 to 136,000.

The police to population ratio has improved from one to 416 to one to 386 but the Sussex ratio is still relatively low at about 1 to 450.

Sussex's ratio remains in the lowest three forces out of 43 in England and Wales.

We need about 400 more officers to place us in an average.

Over the same period the number of 999 calls is up by 500 per cent, from two million to 10 million or, on a daily basis, 5,500 to 27,000.

There has also been a huge increase in general calls. Sussex Police is dealing with two million general calls a year on its non-emergency 0845 6070999 lines.

Then there is the 300 per cent increase in crime (although it has been declining in recent years).

There were two million nationally 20 years ago compared with just under six million today, or 5,500 crimes to investigate a day compared to today's 16,500.

It means your bobbies are stretched and busy but they are still very keen to do much better.

Other tasks absorbed by the service in recent years include:

Many new rights enshrined plus increased audit and paperwork.

A much more complicated criminal trial process.

Many new Acts of Parliament and changes in procedures.

Many new criminal offences.

Increases in drug and gun-linked criminality.

New forms of organised crime, nationally and internationally.

Greatly increased scrutiny by various bodies.

Increased counter-terrorism duties.

The police service has responded with:

More mobile police to respond to 999 emergencies, firearms jobs and thousands of other calls.

Centralising of call handling, something that is misunderstood by a disappointed public.

Huge increases in training requirements.

New specialist units including child protection, mobile firearms, internet crime, major crime,
intelligence, surveillance, counter-terrorism and forensic.

Large increase in non-sworn staff to deal with behind-the-scenes and some front-line work.

Growth in police community support officers and wardens to widen the family.

Constant search for efficiencies and modernisation.

Sophisticated and expensive technology.

Government-supported attack on paperwork.

The responses by Sussex Police include restored and locally accountable neighbourhood policing, mobile police stations and CCTV vans, a record 4,000 arrests in July, catching more burglars and car criminals than ever and creating local action teams.

Despite the increased workload, we are determined to do more to return to traditional policing.

Fear of crime is unwittingly being stoked by lack of knowledge."