We all like to see policemen pounding the beat but a £3m cut in funding could mean that up to 100 officers in Wiltshire are axed.

Our towns are not getting any safer but the Government still expects an under-strength force to keep crime figures down.

A shake-up in funding next April would see urban areas receiving more cash and the shire counties getting less.

Criminals are targeting towns in Wiltshire as they are being displaced by a stronger police presence in cities.

Our county will be seen as a soft option, especially for drug dealers and burglars, if police numbers are cut.

The Government is trying to counter people's fear of crime, but stories like this can only make matters worse.

Morale in the police force is already low but this announcement has pushed it deeper into crisis.

Paperwork is already preventing officers from leaving the station as frequently as they would like and they are as frustrated as the public is about the low numbers patrolling our streets.

The primary role of the police is to protect the public, but this is being undermined by central Government.

Until this mess is sorted out, the force will remain at breaking point.