A FOREST police chief has told the

Review he would welcome more officers. But he dismisses claims the area is undermanned.

Chief Inspector Phil Haynes says a clampdown on recruitment means the county force is not taking on more constables. However, there had been no reduction in police resources in the Forest.

There was, he said, a baseline number. This was related to response times and force requirements.

CI Haynes said high visibility policing was not necessarily the most effective. The 10 per cent who created the most problems were targeted and this had proved an effective policy.

He said there were 60 police officers in the Forest backed up by seven sergeants and two inspectors. In addition there were 22 police community support officers (PCSOs) plus special constables.

There were, he said, additional response units on hand such as the force helicopter.

"Of course I would love to have more resources but I would dismiss the rumour we are below strength," said CI Haynes.

Responding to the requests of police Community Panel members, police were actively dealing with anti-social behaviour problems in Coleford and Cinderford plus reports of renewed speeding on section of the A48 road, he said.

West Dean Parish Council members are inviting a member of the Police Authority to a meeting to discuss policing.

It follows a complaint by Cllr Roger Horsfield who said he was concerned at the low level of policing, the lack of any police station to serve the villages and the closure at night of the stations in Lydney, Coleford and Cinderford.

Cllr Horsfield said he had anticipated growing unemployment would cause a rise in petty crime and anti-social behaviour, and he realised police resources were stretched by the economic situation. However he believed that in a deteriorating situation there should be some redeployment of police resources and a higher degree of closeness to the community.

The chairman Cllr Ian Hendy suggested that perhaps the time had arrived to query the criteria for the allocation of resources to the Forest.

Gayna Awege-Elkington, a witness to last week's horrendous town centre crash in Lydney in which a woman was trapped beneath a car, claimed it was 40 minutes before a police officer arrived at the scene .

In a letter to the Review she wrote: "I know that we all have to economise these days but as Gloucestershire ratepayers pay the highest amount in England for out constabulary it would be nice to have some service. This is not the first instance of someone in trouble ringing the police and they have not responded."

Police say the report of the Newerne Street accident was logged at 10.35am. An officer arrived at the scene at 10.49am.