Cllr Ken Tuckett, of Woodlands, Kingsteignton, writes:

A press report relating to Devon and Cornwall Police saving £30,000 by handing over a raft of powers to deal with antisocial behaviour to environmental wardens employed by Teignbridge Council has since been denied by the police and the council. But was it an attempt to gauge public reaction to a withdrawal or reduction in the number of Police Community Support Officers within the two counties?

The chief constable separately disclosed on BBC Spotlight News that contingency plans were under consideration to meet a possible £14million reduction in the police budget after next year's General election. And Somerset County Council has denied an intention to slash the funding for PCSOs with the comment 'no decision has been taken at this time', which indicates it is probably under consideration.

Development proposals for Kingsteignton currently under consideration include 1,750 new dwellings, increasing the population by 4,000 or 33 per cent. This could increase further when the recession eventually ends, as government dictate requires Newton Abbot and Kingsteignton – a joint population of approximately 38,000 – to accommodate a total of 8,000 new dwellings, 18,000 new residents, a population increase of approximately 47 per cent.

Other communities will be faced with similar excessive development proposals which, in my opinion, make maintaining an effective police strength as important as the provision of essential infrastructure such as new schools, health centres and roads etc.