AN INVESTIGATION to find out if York gets its fair share of police resources has been launched by City of York Council.

A scrutiny board set up to study crime levels in York aims to speak directly with North Yorkshire Police, the Police Authority and the Safer York Partnership.

It will be looking at the way officers and funds are distributed around the county.

A council spokeswoman said: "Councillors will be looking at whether the city gets it fair share of police officers and resources.

"They will be investigating police spending in York, asking tough questions on behalf of the residents."

The council recently agreed to ask the new Chief Constable of North Yorkshire to speak to it, after statistics, leaked to the Evening Press, showed crime had risen by 38 per cent in the York and Selby area in April and May, compared with the same time last year.

But board chairman Roger Farrington said there was no evidence that suggested York was getting a raw deal.

He said: "We have no evidence to suggest that York is not getting its fair share of police resources.

"The suggestion that it could be the case is merely speculation, and one of the things we will be doing is looking to see if there is any truth in it."

The investigation will gather information including statistics which could show any potential crime trends in the city.

Helen Christmas, the council's scrutiny officer, said: "Councillors consider this a very important topic and an area which is of considerable concern to a large number of residents."

The board's report will be presented to the council's executive.

Updated: 15:04 Friday, September 20, 2002