The Home Office has strongly rejected claims by the chief constable of Nottinghamshire, Steve Green, that government spending curbs meant his force could not keep up with a surge in gun crime.

The ministry said that mutual assistance arrangements and a central fund for extra officers were in place to meet localised rises in serious crime.

"We're certainly not apologising for the fact that Nottinghamshire has a record number of police officers," a spokesman said.

Graham Allen, Labour MP for Nottingham North, said: "Nottinghamshire Constabulary have got an extra 319 police officers since 2000, which is a serious increase. The remarks are either very naive or very foolish."