ONE sergeant and a single community support officer have to cover the whole of Dartmouth and surrounding villages because police bosses will not send in replacements to cover for illness, it was claimed this week.

At the moment a police officer and a PCSO are both on long-term sick leave – slashing the town's dedicated police force by one third.

That means because of shift patterns there are often just two police officers on duty at any one time – covering the town and the huge rural area around it.

But it is claimed the town has such a low crime rate that police bosses will not send in extra PCs to cover for the sick officers.

Now 'appalled' residents are demanding an investigation into what they see as poor police cover in a town which is particularly vulnerable because of its isolated position.

Townstal Community Partnership, which met last week, has sent protest letters to Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer, South Hams MP Dr Sarah Wollaston and Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg.

The letter states: 'Dartmouth geographically is arguably at the end of the road more so when the ferry operation service ceases at 2300hrs every night and the parish is covered by what the force states as response teams.'

At the partnership's meeting, the letter adds, a PCSO gave a report which showed crime was falling.

However, when questioned why a police officer or patrol car was rarely seen, the partnership was 'appalled to learn that Dartmouth was greatly undermanned, with officers on sick leave and no one to cover'.

More on this story in this week's Chronicle