A POLICE chief under fire over an increasing number of burglaries in the Ilkley area has criticised 'the local media' for being unhelpful in its reporting of crime.

A meeting of Addingham Parish Council was told that Det Chief Insp Roger Gasson made the remark at the Wharfe Valley Neighbourhood Watch Association annual meeting

Recently the Gazette has reported on residents' concerns about a lack of police, the manning of Ilkley Police Station and the briefing of officers in Shipley.

Addingham parish councillor Sheila Hamilton reported that at the watch association meeting Det Chief Insp Gasson had criticised the coverage of police affairs in the local press.

In a statement this week, Det Chief Insp Gasson said: "The Ilkley Gazette has not been blamed for a recent rise in burglaries but the local media has a part to play in issues such as the fear of crime.

"The police are working hard to tackle all crime and anti-social behaviour issues in the community and burglaries in the division have been reduced considerably over the past few months.

"The main increase in the Ilkley area remains car key burglaries which can be prevented by people making sure their car keys are kept out of sight and in a safe place. There are ongoing operations to tackle this problem."

Editor of the Ilkley Gazette Mel Vasey said: "The Gazette has run several stories urging people to keep their car keys in safe places and supports the police in the fight against crime. However, if we were to ignore people's genuine fears about a lack of police presence in the context of rising crime, then we would not be doing our duty as a local newspaper."

Addingham Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator Harry Rowlinson believes lack of police is the reason behind the burglaries in the town.

"The important thing in this life is that if we can see the law then that deters many vandals. If there is a policeman then that makes them think twice in case there is one around the corner," he said.

"It is important that we get patrols. There is a problem with the small number of police officers that are available to our commander Graham Sunderland. He has a problem with only 200 officers to cover 150,000 people - that means there is only one per 750 people."