Ashfield District Council chiefs claim the number of officers in the district has continuously declined since 1997 and the shortage is now hampering efforts to cut crime and anti-social behaviour.

Coun Jason Zadrozny, leader of the council, told Chad the letter asked for a meeting with Home Secretary Jacqui Smith and he was hopeful it could be arranged shortly.

"The shortage of police in the area is a problem and something we feel strongly about," said Coun Zadrozny.

"Yobs are causing problems in Ashfield knowing they are unlikely to get caught because there are not enough police officers about.

"As a council it is a problem that we need to address. We need to work alongside Nottinghamshire County Council to do all we can to get more police officers on our streets.

"We are trying to follow all the available options to improve the situation. It is important residents know we are aware of problems and are doing all we can to solve them."

But Nick Holmes, chief supt of Nottinghamshire Police A Division, told Chad the force had a good presence on the ground and was effectively cutting crime in Ashfield.

"At no point has Coun Zadrozny taken the opportunity to share his concerns with either myself or the Chief Constable," he said. "With overall crime in Ashfield down by 400 offences this year the reality is somewhat different to the bleak picture he paints.

"Being astute about how, when and where we deploy our available resources is a factor in this success. As is civilianising more roles that don't require police powers, which has enabled us to employ more police officers and community support officers on the streets.

"There are 95 constables and 20 sergeants serving in front line response teams and significant number of staff in our public protection, domestic abuse, intelligence, CID and proactive units."

He added the force would now continue working with local folk to help push on with the downward crime spiral.

Said Chief Supt Holmes: "We now have 22 PCSOs providing a visible presence on Ashfield beats, alongside police officers in each of our Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

"These teams are also responsible for tackling anti-social behaviour and other issues affecting local people's quality of life.

"Supporting these teams on patrol and on joint operations in the community are council-managed Neighbourhood Wardens and staff from other partner agencies."