The Yorkshire Post says: Police officers are only as good as their community links – even now

Today, the threat of serious violence is omnipresent. Crimes associated with digital fraud, or social media abuse, are now prevalent. And the expectation is that officers are highly-educated individuals with degrees or equivalent qualifications.

As such, Yorkshire’s police forces should be commended for looking at their recruitment procedures, and their training programmes, to ensure that their officers have the right qualities and are trained to uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

Yet, while this work is made more difficult by the Government’s funding constraints and the reluctance of Home Secretary Sajid Javid, amongst others, to recognise the link between rising violent crime and police cuts, new recruits must not be allowed to become too desk-bound.

Even now, community policing is still fundamental to the effectiveness of officers. It is where they build links with local residents which gather intelligence. It is where their visible presence can act as a deterrent. And it is where early intervention can lessen the likelihood of today’s youth delinquents becoming tomorrow’s career criminals.

This should not be forgotten as police face up to challenges that could not have been foreseen when every community was fortunate to have their own dedicated officer.