BOTH the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties have promised to reverse what they claim have been cuts to police numbers in the county.

While Liberal Democrat spokesman for Westmorland and Lonsdale Tim Farron said he would be campaigning to stop even further reductions in police strength, MP Tim Collins said he had secured a series of "unique rural policing commitments" from shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe.

Mr Collins believes the commitments would help address residents' fears over the lack of a regular police presence in many rural areas.

At a meeting with Miss Widdecombe at the Conservative Party conference in Bournemouth, the shadow home secretary promised that a Tory government would:

l Give Cumbrian police officers temporary bases in local rural shops or cafes where they could do paperwork and talk to members of the public.

l Reverse the cuts in police numbers she claims were made from 1997.

l Recruit part-time officers, retained officers and special constables.

l Reduce police bureaucracy.

Mr Collins said: "Many of my constituents tell me they often feel cut off from their police service.

These policy commitments which Ann Widdecombe has spoken to me about are aimed at making sure that Cumbrian residents in rural areas feel part of a secure environment."

Meanwhile Cumbria Constabulary is playing down Liberal Democrat claims that despite the Government's police recruitment campaign, the force is expected to face further cuts in police numbers over the next two years.

Tim Farron says the revelation that seven of the country's forces were to have police cuts this year (2000/01) was contained in a letter from Home Secretary Jack Straw to Simon Hughes MP, the Liberal Democrats' home affairs spokesman.

It is claimed that Mr Straw's letter also revealed that the additional money for 9,000 recruits over the next three years - Cumbria is to get £690,000 for a further 74 officers - will only result in a net increase of 4,000 officers.

Mr Farron explained that this was because ordinary police recruitment was so low in relation to officer retirements and added that most of the new officers will be replacing those lost since 1997.

He has invited Simon Hughes to visit south Cumbria to speak to senior police officers and local people about police cover.

"The recent closure of rural police stations, combined with the severe cuts in policing brought about by the last Conservative government, has left us in a dreadful situation locally," he said.

"The additional cuts that Mr Hughes and I have revealed would hurt local communities badly and we will be campaigning to make sure that those cuts are reversed."

However, Cumbria Constabulary says it has a commitment to targeting its resources to frontline policing and part of that process is a civilianisation programme.

This involves replacing officers in non-operational roles with support staff, allowing more police officers to return to the beat.

"Obviously, as more support staff are employed for roles previously held by police officers, the number of police officers in non-operational roles will decrease," said Cumbria Constabulary spokesman Mike Smith.