A GROUP of independent candidates hoping to be elected police commissioners have joined forces over the inadequacy of rural police funding.

The group involves David Bowles (candidate for Lincolnshire), Mary Robinson (Cumbria), Martyn Underhill (Dorset) and Richard Hibbs (North Wales).

The candidates took their protest about the underfunding of rural police forces to Downing Street on Wednesday (3 October).

In an agreed statement, they said: "We oppose the historic underfunding of rural areas and the allocation of police cuts in an arbitrary manner."

Successive Labour and Conservative governments had failed to fund rural police forces properly in England and Wales, the statement said.

"We are here to demonstrate to the Prime Minister that independent police commissioners will no longer tolerate such unfair treatment."

Independent commissioners would become a "substantial thorn in the government's side on rural policing" and other issues affecting communities, the statement continued.

"This is just the start of our campaign.

"Once elected we will be asking other commissioners to work together on best practice and lobby government for changes in the law which affect policing.

"We are not here to oppose all cuts in public expenditure but what we are seeking is fair treatment for rural counties."

The Police Rural Funding grant of £30 million nationally was abolished by the government in 2010 and merged into the police grant.

This has disadvantaged rural areas as it had been one of the few instances where police funding recognised the challenges and real issues of rural areas, the group claims.

The main flaws in the formula include that it gives much greater weight to urban deprivation than rural deprivation and it completely underestimates the costs of running forces in rural areas.

The group has won the support of leading independent and former MP and journalist Martin Bell.

Mr Bell said he could not think of a role less suited to a party politician than that of a police and crime commissioner (PCC).

"It would not be in the public interest for our police forces to fall under the control and influence of party politicians.

That is why it is important that so many well-qualified independents candidates are putting themselves forward as PCC candidates for the elections in November.

Mr Bell added: "It is also encouraging that, as in this initiative on rural policing, they are cooperating with each other."

The group claims the level of underfunding of rural police forces could range over £1m to £10m per year depending upon the constabulary.

Each police officer costs between £35-40k per year to employ.

Despite popular belief, deep rural areas do not necessarily have lower crime rates. In the case of Dorset and Lincolnshire, crime rates are around the national average outside London.