THE Home Secretary kept a pre-election promise when he returned to a market town yesterday.

While attending a BBC event earlier this year, David Blunkett told local bobby, Malcolm Young, he would be happy to join him on patrol in Bedale, North Yorkshire, in order to get a better perception of life at the sharp end.

Yesterday, he did just that, pacing the pavements with PC Young before joining him in a patrol car for a tour of his beat.

Mr Blunkett also took the opportunity to announce an extra £1m is to be pumped into police resources in the county, which is home to two of the UK's most sensitive military bases.

Patrolling RAF Fylingdales and the American spy base at Menwith Hill has been stretching manpower in North Yorkshire.

The money will be spent on initiatives aimed at ensuring there is less of an impact on "front-line'' policing.

Other changes to police operations are also to be introduced across England and Wales in the wake of detailed research into the average police officer's day.

The Diary of a Police Officer, compiled by the PA Consulting Group, indicates some spend as much as half their shift dealing with paperwork rather than patrolling their beats.

As a result, police officers will be invited to play a direct part in a task force being set up to cut through bureaucracy.

Mr Blunkett said: "Police officers are highly trained professionals with wide-ranging powers and skills. It is right that we should use them to concentrate on their core functions: reducing crime, catching criminals and providing reassurance.''

Introducing video identity parades, initiatives to cut the number of false alarms caused by automated systems, and more use of hi-tech computer equipment, were given as examples of how the police could work more efficiently.

Duties which could be passed to other agencies or civilian staff include lost property or pets, or people reported missing from home.

North Yorkshire's Chief Constable, David Kenworthy, welcomed the extra investment, which is in addition to £2.8m in extra grants announced in January this year.

"It still doesn't mean there will be a bobby on every street corner in North Yorkshire, but at least we will be able to make better use of the resources we do have," he said.

The police are also to receive an extra £1m to cover the cost of policing protests at two military bases, Mr Blunkett announced yesterday.

The money will be given to North Yorkshire Police following protests at RAF Menwith Hill and RAF Fylingdales.

The Home Secretary said: ''People have a right to peaceful protest, but there is a cost attached which unfortunately the taxpayer has to bear. I am determined that the people of North Yorkshire should not suffer as a result.

''We are therefore making an extra £1m available to help North Yorkshire Police maintain the level of service which the community rightly expects in terms of tackling crime and disorder and providing reassurance.'