MP Dominic Grieve has joined calls for more police on the streets of Beaconsfield after a jeweller's shop was attacked by thieves for the 14th time in 12 years.

Mr Grieve, MP for Beaconsfield, is being backed by the store owner Andre De Marsac, who nearly lost a finger in one of the violent incidents.

The latest attempted robbery on De Marsac Jewellers Ltd in Station Parade, Beaconsfield, happened last Monday when two thieves tried to smash the reinforced glass windows of the shop with sledgehammers, at 4.15pm

Mr Grieve said: "The basic problem in South Bucks is that there are insufficient police officers. This should be a low crime area but burglary and car crime are extremely high. There is the hope that CCTV should help the town centre area in curbing crime but it remains my view that it is only when there's better policing in the South Bucks area that the situation will improve."

He added that criminals from nearby areas with a high crime rate, such as Slough, were "commuting" to South Bucks to commit crime.

Thames Valley Police has already come under fire in a Channel 4 report for failing rural communities like Beaconsfield and Gerrards Cross

Mr De Marsac said it was "obvious that the police in South Bucks need more money to deal with crime".

He added: "How would Jack Straw feel if he was standing in the shop being burgled?"

"I will not stand back and let that happen in my shop it's a violation of my environment."

Mary Flavelle, Policy and Communications Executive at the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce , supported Mr Grieves.

She said: "There is obviously a massive resource problem in the area for the police and they are being governed by too much red tape that is keeping them in the office.

"People need to see police officers on the beat.

Mr De Marsac has installed CCTV in and around the shop and has supplied all staff with individual alarms.

Entrance to the shop is via a buzzed entry system and all windows are made from impenetrable glass.

Mr De Marsac's message has changed little since he spoke to the Free Press in May 1991, following a burglary in which goods to the value of £10,000 was stolen from the shop.

The most violent attack on the shop came in September 1993, when Mr De Marsac was attacked by three hooded men with a sledgehammer.

He was left needing surgery to a finger, which doctors were nearly forced to amputate.

The shop was targeted again in September the same year when £30,000 of jewellery was stolen in an armed raid and in October 1991 when Mr De Marsac was confronted by another armed man, who was forced to flee empty-handed.

Police spokesman Kate Spark, said: "We work hard to target our resources where they will be most effective and encourage shops and businesses to increase their security wherever possible.

"Our crime reduction officers work hard with businesses who have suffered crime to provide practical crime prevention advice and guard against further incidents."

Police are appealing for witnesses to the latest incident and have described the offenders as black, in their 20s and dressed in dark clothing.

They drove off in a dark coloured VW Golf from a car park to the rear of the shop, and were in collision with a white Ford Transit as they left.

If you have any information contact DC Nick Brown on (01494) 465888