Fears for Isle policing as Humberside budget is slashed.

But despite assurances from Inspector Jo York who updated attendees, many believe the hacked funding must have repurcussions locally.

The police budget is to be slashed by another £31 million, translating in the loss of around 200 police officers and 550 less police staff.

But the town council was told that locally, policing numbers will remain the same.

Town councillor Paul McCartan said: “It’s hard to see how rural areas won’t suffer more under these conditions.”

He told Insp York that she was being “disingenuous to pretend that with such savage cuts, to simply change shift patterns and introduce i-pads and ‘police by appointment’ that it would all be fine.”

Insp York said that this was the best way forward but was unable to answer Mr McCartan’s question that since the chief constable of Lincolnshire police had said cuts in staffing would make his force unviable, at what point would Humberside police become unviable?

A reliance on new technology is useless in some parts of the Isle, said Coun Trevor Barker, who also asked how that particular issue is to be tackled.

The meeting was informed that only about 20 per cent of calls made to police are actually crime related.

Has an encouragement to people to report all crimes backfired to become a victim of its own success, asked Coun Barker, and is the problem to get worse as there will be less police and potentially more calls in the future?

The majority of calls made, councillors heard, relate to council issues, social services or health matters.

It was confirmed by Insp York that the relocation of the roads team from Brigg to the North Bank means it does take longer for fleet members to get to Crowle, and that the fleet is set to be reduced.

But a Humberside police spokesman said: “The Melton base is exactly that with officers starting their duty there but being involved in patrolling the roads of the force area at all times, reflecting the demand analysis which has been conducted.”