Police say the masts are necessary in some rural areas

Thel force is already facing a two-year delay to the new Terrestrial Trunked police radio system - known as Tetra - because many parish councils in the county have turned down applications for the masts.

Resistance to the Airwave masts is strongest in rural areas, such as on Dartmoor and in the South Hams.

Chief Inspector Dennis Calver says the new communications system will improve public safety and police response times and without it some communities would be at a disadvantage.

It is a simple reality and we must find a compromise Chief Inspector Dennis Calver Have your say about Airwave

The force says opponents must realise the consequences of not having the new system in force.

"This is not emotional blackmail," said Chief Inspector Calver

"We cannot expect our police officers to put themselves at risk by knowingly going outside of communication areas.

"It is a simple reality and we must find a compromise.

"Police officers policing communities on foot rather than in vehicles need to have hand-held communication."

Health concerns

He added: "We're trying to give communities the policing they want and that's why we need masts in certain rural areas."

In Widecombe and nearby Lustleigh campaigners have cited health concerns and the visual impact on the countryside as their reasons for objecting to the masts.

"I'm not sure what the police are trying to say," said one anti-mast campaigner, Rod Newbolt-Young.

"Are they trying to say they can't police us efficiently at present because they haven't got the system or are they saying once they get the system they will be able to police us efficiently ?"

The Airwave system is currently being used by other police officers in the UK including those within the Greater Manchester and North Yorkshire constabularies