David Ruffley MP for Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket has described recent crime detection figures that he has uncovered from Home Office Ministers as 'worrying.'

David Ruffley said, 'I am extremely concerned that detection rates for most types of crime in Suffolk have deteriorated in the last five years. The most up to date figures show that detection rates for burglaries are down to 19% in Suffolk.

'Less than half of all sexual offences in Suffolk were detected in 2002. Violent crime is on the increase in Suffolk together with robberies, sexual offences, vehicle crime, and burglaries. The fact that detection rates are falling and these crimes are increasing is shocking.

'I believe these figures provide added weight to my arguments for putting more bobbies on the beat. It is obvious that when a police presence is more apparent, fewer crimes are committed and detection rates would surely rise. I am concerned that our bobbies in rural areas have huge areas to patrol with not enough support, as a result, criminals are targeting rural areas where police resources are insufficient.'