It is good to see Chris Green, MP for Bolton West, responding to his constituency wide crime survey, which reviled, unsurprisingly, that residents are concerned with the rising levels of crime (The Bolton News, August 13).

What is not quite so good to see is the conclusion the MP came to after spending time with a police patrol one night.

Too much red tape, alcohol and ‘doing other public services’ are the problem apparently, although no examples of red tape and other public services were forthcoming.

No mention of the real cause, namely the 22,000 reduction in the number of police officers on our streets because of government cuts.

However, the head of the Metropolitan Police has said it would be "naive" to think cuts to the number of rank-and-file officers had failed to have an impact on the rising levels of violent crime.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary’s annual report found that forces are failing to respond to low-priority crimes because of “significant stress” caused by budget cuts and rising demand.

The head of the Police Federation, John Apter, has said that police are not responding to crimes they would have dealt with in the past and that government cuts had created a “crisis”.

We are moving into an area where some crimes will not be investigated, whereas two to five years ago they were.

Mr Green has said he will raise the issue of red tape in the House of Commons.

Is this the action of an MP who understands the size of the problem and of someone prepared to stand up and tell Theresa May that Tory cuts are putting the public at risk?

Or will he put party before what the country needs?

No contest.

Eric Hyland

Harwood