Liberals outline plans to put 3000 more bobbies on the beat

Law and order - speciafically anti-social behaviour will be centre-stage in the next election. Now the Liberals have announced their pitch...

They will put 3,000 more police officers on the beat over the first four years after winiing power, says Nick Clegg.  The cost will be funded by abandonning Labours plans to implement a national ID Card scheme.

Under the plan, all forces in England, Wales and Scotland would get extra money to boost force numbers. Clegg accuses Labour of talking tough on crime but allowing front-line police numbers to fall by 40% in England and Wales since 2005.

The Liberal plans represent a step back - last September they pledged to recruit up to 10,000 more police officers - a policy that was also part of their 2005 election manifesto.

The Conservatives say they will slash the paperwork involved in stop and search and arrest procedures to enable officers to spend more time on patrol.

Labour has insisted it will protect police and other frontline services from anticipated future spending cuts but some forces expect police numbers to fall over the next few years while others have frozen recruitment.

Read more on the BBC here