THE NUMBER of traffic police officers in Hampshire has fallen by nearly a third - sparking fears of more deaths on the county's roads.

Figures obtained by the Press Association under Freedom of Information laws show a sharp reduction in officers across the UK over the past ten years, with Hampshire seeing a 30 per cent cut.

Experts say it could result in traffic laws being policed less effectively, with a corresponding rise in injuries and fatalities.

A spokesman for Hampshire-based motoring organisation the AA said: "We need more cops in cars, not fewer.

"The UK has among the safest roads in Europe, although the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads has started to rise after many years of steady decline. Maybe there is a link.

"Even senior officers have publicly expressed concern at the falling number of their colleagues."

John Apter of the Hampshire Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, added: "We have always said that any cuts in operational policing will have consequences.

"There is a concern that the recent increase in fatal accidents is due in part to a reduction in the number of specialist road policing officers.

"It's a misnomer that all they do is catch speeding motorists.

"They deal with dangerous vehicles and dangerous drivers as well as issues such as drink and drug-driving. Any reduction that allows bad driving to go unchecked is not a good position to be in."

Louise Haigh, Labour shadow minister for policing said: "Reckless drivers will feel able to offend with impunity.

"There have been a number of new driving offences in the last few years, not least relating to phones and the new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

"The police don't stand a chance of pursuing and convicting people under these offences with ever-constrained resources."

The new figures show the number of traffic officers in Hampshire has dropped from 149 to 104 - a 30 per cent reduction that is in line with the national picture.

But Chief Inspector Mark Lewis of Hampshire police said the county's roads policing team was part of a joint initiative with the Thames Valley force.

He added: "We are able to call on resources from anywhere within the two force areas and therefore have a much larger number of officers at our disposal at any one time than the statistics show.

“We are dedicated to keeping the roads safe for all to use and have specially trained officers and staff to tackle issues when and if they arise.

"We are always analysing collision data and continue to work closely with our partners to reduce risks on the roads.”