A SHARP rise in the number of Lancashire police officers has brought the force almost back to the level of staff it had when Labour won the general election.

Between September 2000 and January this year, the number of officers in the county rose by 30 from 3,215 to 3,245.

This is just two below the figure of which Home Secretary Jack Straw inherited after Labour won the election in May 1997.

And the Blackburn MP is confident that new recruiting measures put in place in the past year will lead to the Lancashire force exceeding the 3,247 figure in the next year.

Nationwide police numbers have risen by 1,367 from 124,547 in September 2000 to 125,537 in January this year.

Although this is well below the May 1997 figure of 127,158, Mr Straw said the increase was the biggest since a full year rise in 1998/99.

He told the Evening Telegraph: "Since I brought in the Crime Fighting Fund, with ring-fenced money for police recruitment, in April last year police numbers have been going up.

"Recruitment is at record levels and I am delighted that police numbers in Lancashire are now almost the same as they were in 1997.

"I am confident that they will increase further as our recruitment measures take effect, this is very good news for Lancashire."