THE thin blue line is positively skeletal in Wycombe at present, it emerged last week.

THE thin blue line is positively skeletal in Wycombe at present, it emerged last week.

Just ten officers are on duty on Saturday night in the whole of the district, the commander of Chiltern Vale Police told councillors.

Yes, that's Saturday night when the drunks like a fight and there's trouble in the air.

Just ten officers hardly seems sufficient to control a district this size. That number soon shrinks to nothing when there's a couple of road accidents and burglary alarms.

Councillor Nigel Vickery was right to pound on about this issue during the meeting. He says there are no police available to check up on young children roaming the streets around Castlefield and Holmers Farm Way late at night.

And he points out his constituents are demanding to see local beat bobbies.

We do not blame the police for this state of affairs. Their recruitment difficulties are a matter of record and of grave concern.

A few years ago, we ran a Save Our Bobbies campaign after police numbers were cut. We were inundated with post from worried members of the public, which was ample proof of the concern about law and order in this county.

We know our campaign had some impact in restoring policemen to the force, but all the gains seem to have been eroded.

Politicians rattle on about the virtues of CCTV cameras and neighbourhood watches. But the public knows there is no substitute for bobbies on the beat.