ESSEX has the second highest number of officers dedicated to neighbourhood policing, a new report has revealed.

The report, by the Conservative Party's taskforce on police reform, showed more than 30 per cent of Essex officers were dedicated neighbourhood cops, compared to a national average of just 7 per cent.

Out of a total of 3,329 officers, there are 136 sergeants and 873 constables dedicated to local neighbourhoods.

Only North Yorkshire dedicates more of its force to the scheme.

Last year marked the big push for the neighbourhood teams, which were launched all over south Essex, including South-church, Hockley, Canvey, Laindon and Lee Chapel North.

Insp Glenn Mayes, programme manager for community policing, said the scheme had been well received by the public, adding: "Our focus is to get 70 per cent of our officers into neighbourhood policing teams."

Essex is also the fifth largest employer of police community support officers (PCSOs) in England and Wales.

Mr Mayes said: "They are also very popular with the public because of their prominent role, as high-visibility policing.

"They spend up to three quarters of their time patrolling either on foot or cycles."

James Duddridge, MP for Rochford and Southend East, backed the force for its commitment to neighbourhood and community policing, but raised concerns about plans to drop future intakes of PCSOs.

The county had hoped to take on 547 PCSOs by March 2008, but because of funding cuts, there will know only be 362.

He said: "Essex Police do a very good job with the resources they have, and I commend them for their focus on community pol-icing.

"But having planned to abolish Essex Police altogether - and thankfully those ideas were scrapped after a strong campaign by many people in the area - the Government has now reduced the promised number of PCSOs for our county by 185."

Mr Duddridge said the taskforce's findings also showed officers spent almost as much of their shift in the police station as they did out of it.

He said: "The police should be out on the streets, doing what they joined the police force to do - prevent crime and catch criminals."