A SENIOR Conservative MP has pledged more than 400 extra police for North Yorkshire in the event of a Tory win in the General Election.

Shadow Cabinet member David Cameron, head of policy co-ordination for the party, was outlining the Conservatives' likely agenda in the next election during a visit to Selby.

Mr Cameron said North Yorkshire would be in line for 434 extra officers out of 5,000 more a year nationwide, funding the extra officers by reforming the current asylum and immigration service.

He said a Conservative Government would cut police paperwork, freeing up more time for fighting crime. The party also planned to increase accountability by allowing members of the public to stand for election as "police commissioners".

He said this would help keep ordinary members of the public more in touch with the work of police.

Mr Cameron, supporting Selby's Conservative candidate Mark Menzies in his bid to win the seat from Labour MP John Grogan, said: "Crime is a very big issue, especially violent crime. The police are very much tied up with paperwork - which we would cut." He claimed that crime in Selby had seen a huge rise since 1999, with a particularly marked increase in robbery and violent crime.

Mr Grogan, responding to the Tory plans, said: "As for the numbers of police officers in North Yorkshire, actions speak louder than words. Since 1997 the number of police in our county has risen from 1,338 to a record 1,529 at present.Under the last Tory period of Government the number of police fell from 1,342 in 1979 to 1,338 in 1997. "

Mr Cameron was also in Harrogate on Friday visiting the town's alcohol and drugs agency - HADA.

The MP, who is vice-chairman of the all party Drugs Misuse Group, spoke of the need for more residential treatment centres for addicts.

He said: "Every addict is a walking crime-wave. Far too many treatment centres are just handing out methadone rather than offering a residential course. We are going to make 25,000 extra rehabilitation centres for drug users."

A North Yorkshire police spokesman, commenting on the claims that crime had risen in Selby, said: "While we would not wish to be involved in a political debate, crime in Selby is currently falling. Total crime so far in this financial year (from April 1), is down 14.3 per cent."

Updated: 10:26 Monday, January 17, 2005