Shadow home secretary Ann Widdecombe has attacked Labour's record on police numbers, saying they have dropped significantly since Tony Blair came to power in 1997.

Speaking in the Commons Miss Widdecombe used the death of a female pensioner, allegedly caused by her harassment by a gang of youths, to make her point.

She said that harassment was becoming a regular event in some parts of the country making peoples lives into a "living hell".

But Home Secretary David Blunkett said there was no political divide in wanting to protect people.

Drop in police numbers

Miss Widdecombe told MPs: "The number of regular officers is now 1,639 fewer than the same time in 1997. There are 7,500 fewer special constables than in May 1997.

"What comfort can you give to people who suffer the sort of menace when somebody was harassed literally to death, the sort of harassment we now see regularly as a daily occurrence, making people's lives a living hell?"

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The pensioner, Sheila Bridge, collapsed shortly after complaining to police that a gang of youngsters were causing a nuisance near her home in sheltered accommodation in Nelson, Lancashire.

She died in hospital following the incident, which took place on Tuesday.

Six youths, aged between 10 and 14, have been charged with manslaughter and will appear before Burnley Youth Court on Monday.

Mr Blunkett said: "There isn't a party political divide in wanting to protect people. There are now, compared with last year, 1,577 additional non-uniformed staff in the police service. They matter as well."

He told the Commons that on 28 June this year there were 125,519 officers compared with 127,158 at the same time in 1997 when Labour had just come to power.