A CALL for police in the North West to create a new category of part-time retained police officer has been made by the Liberal Democrats.

The party wants experienced officers, many of whom currently take early retirement at the age of 50, to be encouraged to continue to make a contribution towards community policing.

With the number of special constables now at record low levels, the Lib Dems are calling for new annual expense payments of up to £1,300 to encourage recruitment and retention of the volunteer officers.

The proposals have been welcomed by Bury Euro MP Chris Davies who described police resources as being too often wasted.

He said: "With the Government said to be considering raising the general retirement age to 70, it is incredible that so many of our most experienced police officers leave the force while they are still relatively youthful and in the prime of their lives.

"Retained fire officers play a valuable role in many fire brigades across the country and we should certainly be introducing similar arrangements for the police. We simply cannot afford to lose their skills any longer."

With official reports claiming that on average it takes two police officers up to four hours each to process a minor offence such as shoplifting, Lib Dems are also calling for more investment in computers to cut down on time spent dealing with paperwork.

Mr Davies added: "If a prosecution case is to stand up in court, there is no avoiding some of the bureaucracy, but a lot of time can be saved with the right systems of information technology. We need officers back on the streets where the public wants them and where their presence helps both to deter crime and deter the fear of crime."