One "superbobby" with nothing to worry about

Launching Labour's 10-year crime plan on Monday, Home Secretary Jack Straw pledged to boost confidence in the police by putting more bobbies on foot patrol.

In the past, police officers have tended to progress from "the beat" to desk jobs. So-called "superbobbies", however, will be offered cash incentives to stay on patrol.

The idea is designed to tackle widespread concern at the lack of Pcs on the beat. Last month, a report by the Audit Commission found only 20% of people were happy with the number of officers on foot patrol.

But while the Government may be anxious to improve its standing on law and order - an area where the Conservative Party is traditionally strong - experts are at odds over the approach.

Coming of the Panda car

To an extent, it is an argument of sentiment over statistics. Foot patrols fell out of favour in the late 1960s when forces switched to Panda cars. Today, more than half the serving police constables are patrol officers, however many have to balance their beat with desk work and other jobs such as attending court.

Evening all: The bobby on the beat is making a comeback

The public though, still have unbridled confidence in the power of the patrol bobby.

One in four people assume a foot patrol spots a crime in progress at least once a week, according to a Mori poll. Eighty-three per cent of those questioned believe an officer is likely to come across a crime at least once a year.

But while people feel safer knowing a police officer is nearby, Home Office figures show that a patrolling officer could expect to pass within 100 yards of a burglary only once every eight years.

Despite this research by his own department, Mr Straw has clearly been won over to the street patrols argument. He has some important allies.

The Association of Chief Police Officers has backed calls for more beat bobbies, as has the Police Federation.

'Sense of anarchy'

Chairman of the Police Federation, Fred Broughton, said the fall in police numbers in urban areas has led to "a sense of disorder and anarchy" and alternatives such as CCTV were not working.

Foot patrol police are unlikely to come across burglaries

The call for a greater street presence has also gone out in Scotland. Last year, the chief inspector of the Scottish Constabulary, William Taylor, called for more officers to be freed up from paper work.

Criminologist Roger Graef backs the superbobbies plan but says the argument about police numbers has been over-simplified by politicians. More bobbies on the beat, he says, would not bring about an immediate fall in crime levels.

Boosting police numbers would help cut "quality of life crimes" such as vandalism, littering, dogs fouling the pavement and domestic violence, says Mr Graef.

"Bobbies on the beat are fantastically useful. They have social skills and mediation skills that can help keep the peace."

'Intelligent' policing

But there's little they can do when it comes to tackling more serious and more hidden crimes. This requires intelligence-based policing as well as preventative efforts from the police, local authorities and individuals.

"[Patrol officers] can't arrest drug dealers and they can't keep up with money launderers. Most crime goes on behind closed doors."

One idea to increase police presence is to have officers patrol alone

He cites the example of Singapore, a country that is renowned for its tight social order, to illustrate how crime almost happens at two different levels. Singapore, says Mr Graef, has one of the highest murder rates in south east Asia.

Others who have entered the debate have pointed out that beat bobbies cannot respond at anything like the speed of their colleagues at the station, who can jump in a patrol car at any time.

Yet while the statistics tell one story, the public steadfastly believe another. Mr Graef agrees that people tend to look back to the Dixon of Dock Green era of the 1960s and equate old-style policing with lower crime.

Not the only answer

"They're wrong because they've taken this one element - the bobby on the beat - and they're looking at it to be the only answer. But all the other factors have changed in that time as well."

Tim Morris of the National Neighbourhood Watch Association also believes that pressure for more officers on the beat is not necessarily a good thing.

But he approves of the superbobby idea if it means community officers can spend more time nurturing their contacts and local knowledge.

"One thing that our members complain about is that they have a community officer who, almost as soon as he gets to know an area, moves on. Anything that helps to maintain a police officer in the community is to be welcomed."