THE number of uniformed police officers in Basingstoke has fallen as the town sees "worrying increases in drug crime," according to Basingstoke MP Maria Miller.

There were 190 uniformed officers and 22 police community support officers (PCSOs) at police stations in Basingstoke and Deane district on January 1 – down from 200 and 24 respectively on the same day in 2008, according to figures the MP obtained through a Freedom of Information request.

Mrs Miller said: "Visible policing in Basing-stoke is a high priority for residents. News that the number of uniformed officers and PCSOs has been cut in our area will be a real blow.

"The Government grabbed the headlines three years ago by pledging to put more police on our streets – yet their action since then have fallen well short of this promise."

A Government minister told Mrs Miller in January 2007 that Hampshire would receive 206 fewer PCSOs than promised and this, she said, meant 20 fewer community police officers in Basingstoke.

"These figures show further cuts in Basing-stoke PCSOs and uniformed officers in the past 12 months," the MP added.

The figures Mrs Miller obtained show there were seven PCSOs in Basingstoke and Deane District on New Year’s Day 2007 and none the year before, while on January 1 each year since 2003, the number of uniformed police officers has varied between 183 and 208.

Last week, Hampshire Police Authority said it will cut the number of support officers and staff, and warned frontline policing could be cut if more Government money is not forthcoming, while Basingstoke and Deane Community Safety Forum figures show drug offences rose 24 per cent last year.

Mrs Miller said: "With Hamp-shire police funding facing further cuts next year, the situation is grim. In Basingstoke, we need to see those police officers we have left freed up from unnecessary paperwork so that they can be out in our community."

Chief Superintendent Mark Chatterton, commander of the north and east operation command unit, which covers the Basingstoke district, said the figures were a snapshot of a particular day and did not represent the number of officers and PCSOs available.

He added there are officers in specialist units, such as domestic abuse and roads policing, who could be deployed in the district when needed.

Chief Supt Chatterton said: "The nature of the service we deliver means demand fluctuates every day, month and year and we have to be flexible and manage resources to meet this.

"This is constantly reviewed to ensure we have the right people, in the right places, at the right time."

He maintained that Basingstoke remains a safe place to live, work and visit.