Police: Issues in Nottingham

Downing Street has called for further investigations into why Nottingham police are being forced to farm out murder investigations to other forces.

The comments came as MPs held urgent talks with Home Office ministers following claims that Nottinghamshire constabulary can no longer cope with the number of murders in the area.

The local chief constable, Steve Green, said his force was struggling to cope with the paperwork associated with 30 recent murders.

Nottingham has the fifth highest number of recorded gun crimes in the country.

As a result the force is having to farm out the investigations to officers from other areas.

Downing Street said the issue had to be looked into.

"Everyone recognises that there are problems in Nottinghamshire but there are different views, shall we say, about the causes of these problems," said a spokesman.

"The facts are that the Police Standards Unit have been working with the police force there because of concerns about performance.

"Nottinghamshire has seen a 4.8 per cent increase in its grant, well above the minimum granted to all police authorities.

"There are problems there, that's why the Police Standards Unit need to work with the force."

More questions

Local MP Graham Allen said he was disappointed the chief constable had chosen to tell the press of his grievances before informing him.

He is questioning whether the force was being properly managed.

However Allen said he would be demanding further information when he met with Home Office minister Hazel Blears on Monday.

"Nottinghamshire Constabulary have got an extra 319 police officers since 2000, which is a serious increase," said Allen.

"One has to ask whether they are being properly deployed."

The row came after the chief constable said his forces were overwhelmed as a result of the murder rate.

"We are reeling with the murders. We are in a long-standing crisis situation with major crime and it won't go away overnight," he told the Sunday Telegraph.

Red tape

Tory leader Michael Howard seized on Green's comments saying the problems experienced by the Nottinghamshire force were part of a wider problem of too much bureaucracy.

Speaking at Conservative campaign headquarters in London, Howard said: "Labour ministers have set five strategic policing priorities, 13 headline targets, 36 component targets."

He said the police were now accountable for their performance to up to five different agencies.

"That is why a Conservative government will give the police one simple, clear objective: to prevent crime and disorder," Howard added.

"This will free chief constables to set their own priorities in the light of local needs and local problems.

"And we will cut back on the paperwork that keeps them chained to their desks.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Mark Oaten said his party would put 10,000 more police on the streets and cut the amount of time officers spend filling in forms.

"The police are forced to spend far too much time on paperwork when they should be out on our streets protecting our communities," he said.

"We would commit money to revolutionise police technology. We would swap notebooks for laptops to create a police force better equipped for the 21st century."

But Labour's general election co-ordinator, Alan Milburn, said that progress was being made.

"In contrast to the Conservatives, Labour has increased police numbers by six officers every working day," he said.

"The key dividing line is continued investment with Labour or to go back to cuts with the Conservatives."