A REVIEW of police arrangements in Barnoldswick in the wake of complaints could provide extra officers for the town.

An urgent review of policing with particular focus on West Craven is a top priority for a new chief inspector who starts work in Pendle on Monday.

And Chief Supt Jeremy Graham said while crime figures alone might not justify more police officers, there were other factors, such as public reassurance, to take into account which could lead to a reassessment.

The announcement came as the Chief Superintendent condemned comparisons between policing levels in Barnoldswick and Skipton, less than 10 miles away, as wholly misleading.

Figures compiled by the Craven Herald using the Freedom of Information Act highlight the difference between Skipton - covered by North Yorkshire Police - and West Craven, which falls under the remit of the Lancashire Constabulary.

Skipton, with a population of 14,290, has a total of 61 officers based at its police station on Otley Street, which includes one chief inspector and 30 uniformed officers.

Barnoldswick, with a population of 11,097, has three officers based at its station on Fernlea Avenue.

And Earby, with a population of 5,999, has one police officer and one Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), who work alternate shifts, at its station on Victoria Road.

Of course, there are policy and staffing reasons behind the figures.

For example, Barnoldswick is just five miles from Colne, where the main police force for the division is based, while the next biggest town in North Yorkshire to Skipton is Harrogate - 24 miles away over a road prone to closure during snow.

Skiptonians also pay a lot more in police tax: £176 for a Band D property, while Earby and Barnoldswick householders pay £107 for a Band D property.

Chief Supt Graham said the comparison was between apples and pears.

Typical staffing levels would mean that on a given day there were just as many officers on the street in Barnoldswick as Skipton.

The Skipton staffing level included CID and traffic officers, which in Pendle were run from Nelson and Colne.

Crime statistics also show a difference between the two towns.

Since April, the latest crime statistics for Skipton showed 789 crimes and 3,179 incidents.

In the same period in Barnoldswick there were 305 crimes and 1,491 incidents.

But Chief Supt Graham admitted there had been concern expressed to him in public forums about police resources and responses in Barnoldswick and Earby.

At a recent meeting of Barnoldswick Chamber of Trade, members handed a 1,000 signature petition to Supt Neil Smith, the officer in charge of the Pennine Division, calling for increased policing and 24-hour opening at Barnoldswick police station.

And at a meeting of Earby Parish Council, members met with Inspector Richard Clare, of Colne Police, to look at the possibility of holding a public forum regarding policing concerns in Earby.

Insp Clare told councillors a recent clampdown on nuisance behaviour in Earby, where four fixed penalty notices were handed out to youths, had made a difference.

He said: "Obviously the point got across that weekend and so what we decided to do was to keep things going for the following three weekends. We have got to keep coming back and chipping away at things.

"We are trying to keep them (the youths) on their toes and hopefully by doing that they will be wary all the time."

Insp Claire added that the number of crimes in Earby had decreased.

Chief Supt Graham told the Herald: "I do not want to send a message that the police are complacent about policing in Barnoldswick.

"The crime figures on their own do not warrant more police presence, but it is a top priority for the new chief inspector and I feel we may need to look at more police officers."