THERE are lies, damn lies and statistics. The latter are always used with relish when it comes to the state of crime in the UK.

Listening to the three main party spokesmen on the issue over the weekend, you could be forgiven for feeling a touch confused.

While Labour's Jack Straw uses one set of numbers to show the crime rate is falling, Tory Ann Widdecombe uses the same figures to show the opposite.

Predictably Lib Dem Simon Hughes used his stats to show faults with both of his opponents.

So who are we to believe in the run-up to the election?

If the Police Federation is right, Labour's mantra of "tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime" has been nothing more than a catchy slogan.

The federation simply says it doesn't have the resources, ie officers, to stop crime.

The example they use is New York where crime has dramatically fallen over the last ten years after a massive increase in police officers.

It's hardly a shocking revelation, but perhaps our masters are not privy to that useful quality called common sense.

Now we hear that police recruits are being used as gardeners because there were not enough places at training schools. So at least the police stations we have left will have pretty flower beds the world can envy.

But perhaps the best way to judge how the police are doing at the moment is from your own personal experience. See if this sounds familiar.

When I walk down my High Street, I see a boarded-up building that used to be a police station. It has stood empty for months now, a depressing sight for locals who have ever needed an officer in a hurry.

In its place we have CCTV cameras, which were put up before the police left town. I remember the promises then that CCTV was there as an extra crime prevention measure, not to replace manpower.

I would love to hear someone with the bottle to put forward that argument now.

The stations which survived the cull in more rural areas are now so empty that the skeletal staff take ages to see you if there is just one person in front.

As for ringing up to report a crime, forget it. It almost reminds me of a scene from The Simpsons where Homer is told to press one for burglaries...

I'm still not sure who is to blame for this Chief Wiggin style of policing as both this government and the last have to take responsibility for cutting police budgets.

What we don't want is more point-scoring from politicians armed with their own interpretations of the figures.

The party which really convinces me that my town will no longer be devoid of bobbies will get my vote.