POLICE officers in North Yorkshire are effectively charged with looking after more than 600 people each, it has been revealed.
According to Government figures, the county has 605 residents for every "operational" police officer.
This leaves the number of police per head of population significantly below the national average.
In England as a whole, there is one operational police officer for every 472 members of the public - leaving North Yorkshire bobbies with a greater workload.
Police in West Mercia have the stiffest task - with 684 people for every operational officer. In London, there is one officer for every 325 members of the public - the country's lowest ratio.
Updated: 10:29 Tuesday, December 11, 2001
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