FRUSTRATED town councillors have written to the county’s top police officer in an effort to beef up coverage in the town.

Bedale Town Council has been calling for an increased police presence in the market town, and its surrounding villages, for the past two years.

At a meeting last week, members of the council agreed to write to Grahame Maxwell, the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, about the situation.

Members have invited Mr Maxwell to attend a future meeting of the town council, to discuss their concerns.

Town clerk Richard Howard said members were concerned that the police presence in the town was not tough enough.

He said: "The feeling among members is that the police resources in Bedale are not as they should be.

"It is something that councillors have addressed with the chief constable and the assistant chief constable in the past couple of years, each of them having attended meetings in the past.

"Councillors decided they wanted to invite the chief constable back, to a future meeting, to run through that particular issue with him again."

Town councillor Ian Watkins pointed to recent incidents in the town, including the alleged assault of a 35-year-old man by a gang of four to six youths, as an example of the need to step up patrols.

The man needed emergency treatment after the incident, in St Gregory’s church yard, on August 16.

Coun Watkins said: "My view is that the police cover in the area is non-existent at times.

"I know that people are very concerned about the lack of police in Bedale, and it is just getting worse.

"We hope that the chief constable will come and explain the situation to us."

Mr Howard said the letter from the town council had been posted after last week’s meeting.

No response from the force has yet been received, he said.

Sergeant Stuart Grainger, who runs the town’s police office, was unavailable for comment.

Town councillors have been keen to stress that their criticisms are not aimed at the hard-working staff of Bedale police office, but those who make decisions on staffing.

A spokesman for the Mr Maxwell said: "North Yorkshire Police received the invitation to attend the meeting with Bedale Town Council on Wednesday 30 September.

"We are restructuring the force's senior leadership team.

"As soon as this has been done, the assistant chief constable with responsibility for policing will make arrangements to attend a meeting of the town council, so they can ensure they know of the councillors’ concerns."