CONFIDENCE in Dorset police is slipping – in line with national trends.

But the county’s police and crime commissioner says while Dorset used to be at the very top of the league for confidence it was still doing well, although it is now ranked as sixth best.

“Having lost about 30,000 posts nationally the police is now on its knees and it's no wonder that public satisfaction is the lowest it has been for years,” said Martyn Underhill.

He told last week’s police and crime panel that he could expect nothing else when budgets had been cut by the government. He said he shared the views of five chief police officers, writing in The Times, to call for action to reverse what they described as the crisis in policing.

He said he would support a request for a Royal Commission on the police service and would also back calls for longer-term budgets. Mr Underhill said it was "a nonsense" that budgets had to be set on an annual basis, adding a three or five-year settlement would be better for forward planning.