Sussex Police are facing accusations, which they deny, of not being close enough to the community.

The man behind the Tories' broadside was Sussex MP Nick Herbert, who has spent a year coming up with a 250-page strategy for policing over the coming decades.

The shadow minister for police reform tells reporter Simon Barrett why we are getting it wrong - and what a police force for the 21st century should look like.

  • It is perhaps a sign of the times that most people in Sussex do not know the name, or even the face, of their local police officer.

Critics say the sight of bobbies on the beat in and around our communities is becoming rarer, even though there are more police officers than ever in our forces.

This week the Conservatives unveiled plans for a major overhaul of policing across the country.

Arundel and South Downs MP Nick Herbert, the shadow minister for police reform, published the results of his year-long study entitled Policing for the People.

Conservative leader David Cameron appointed Mr Herbert to lead a police reform taskforce with a brief to examine what is needed to boost performance and drive down crime.

The 250-page report calls for a reduction in bureaucracy to release police officers on to the beat, a new cadre of police reservists similar to the Territorial Army, and a national Serious Crime Force to tackle terrorism, drug dealers and major crimes which cross force borders.

The report recommends police pay should reflect team performance and talented people should be able to enter directly into senior ranks.

It also advocates the introduction of an armed forcesstyle college designed to prepare the police leaders of tomorrow.

Mr Herbert said: "The structure of the police must enable them both to enhance community policing and step up the fight against serious crime.

"This will either require far more effective co-operation between forces than has happened so far, or the introduction of a national Serious Crime Force to work alongside local forces."

He said the proposals offered a better future for both police and the public, and claimed officers would be released to do the job they want to do.

Mr Herbert added: "Central interference will be minimised, professional discretion will be restored, and committed officers will be rewarded for their success.

"The public will benefit from localised policing that is more responsive to their concerns, giving them a real voice and control to ensure the safety of their communities.

"Police officers will be returned to the streets, which is exactly where people want to see them."

Shock waves were sent throughout Sussex Police last month when detective constable Johnno Hills quit amid claims of manipulated crime figures.

Mr Hills offered his resignation from the force after becoming disillusioned with hitting targets, and across the country there have been calls to get police officers back on the streets and away from the culture of "bean counting".

Mr Herbert yesterday backed claims that the police were subject to too much red tape and bureaucracy, and called for their hands to be "untied."

He added: "Central direction and targets should be replaced by locally accountable leadership and priority setting. The police must be made properly accountable, rewarding activity that delivers a better service, not the kind which keeps officers busy and ticks boxes."

His views were yesterday echoed by Peter Jones, chairman of the Sussex Police Authority.

Mr Jones said: "The public demands a responsiveness from those who oversee policing which the existing police authority structure simply can't deliver.

"We need a new and direct link between the public and individuals accountable for policing.

"The ballot box provides a tried and tested model. We can put in place small scrutiny boards to provide reassurance that elected police commissioners are delivering to the highest standards."

Research by the Conservative taskforce found only 5.2 per cent of Sussex Police officers were dedicated to neighbourhood policing, a figure below the national average.

The Conservatives argue that forces with less than ten per cent of officers in neighbourhood roles could not claim a true "commitment"

to policing their communities.

The figures come from an analysis published by the Association of Chief Police Officers in December.

It showed 43 Sussex sergeants and 119 constables dedicated to the role, out of a force strength of 3,086, just 5.2 per cent.

Sussex Police hit back at the Conservatives' claims and said more than a third of their officers were working in the community.

A spokeswoman for the force said in the past 12 months the force had added 53 Neighbourhood Specialist Teams to the existing 43 Neighbourhood Policing Teams.

She said: "Excluding PCSOs, police officers working in the community represent 34.4 per cent of officers in the force.

"Earlier this year we introduced a website so people would know the name of their local officers, and how to contact them and learn what they are doing to tackle local issues."