West Yorkshire's Chief Constable came under fire last night for approving a controversial police vehicle sponsorship deal in the Bradford district.

At its annual open meeting West Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Roger Benn said the Force had lost credibility because of the £45,000 deal with Bradford firm Coral Windows.

As exclusively revealed in the Telegraph & Argus last month, the agreement has been met with widespread disapproval among rank-and-file officers. Some say they are ashamed to be associated with the vehicles.

Commenting on the deal, one of the largest in the country, Mr Benn asked Chief Constable Graham Moore: "Just who decided we'd become a part-time double glazing sales force?

"No disrespect to the firm concerned, but did anybody really think about the credibility gap that immediately opens up in the eyes of the public when an advertising hoarding arrives to answer their 999 call - particularly when the burglary has been forced entry through patio doors?"

Mr Moore answered his critics with a joke. "Transparency is a key issue in running West Yorkshire Police, so we chose a double glazing firm as our first sponsor," he said.

Concerns over budget cuts were also high on the meeting's agenda. Mr Benn said although budgets were even tighter for the coming year - £7million less than the amount needed for the Force to stand still - expectations of officers' performance continued to rise.

Councillor Neil Taggart, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Authority, which has set its targets for the coming year, said defying the Government by raising the police budget during 1999/2000 would only mean long term financial penalties.

"We can't carry on under funding the budget," he said. "But the extra revenue would have been so small it would not have made a recognisable difference across the county."

If current budgeting trends continue, the Force will have to shed around 150 officers a year as it enters the next Millennium.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.