BOBBIES on the beat are outdated and a waste of scarce resources, according to the Essex’s out-going police commissioner.

Nick Alston believes the days of officers “just walking the streets” should be over and every police officer needs to be carrying out targeted work instead.

He said: “Local policing is absolutely crucial, but bobbies on the beat are outdated.

“We need experienced detective s and investigations with better evidence.

Bobbies on the beat don’t cut it.”

The view will prove unpopular with some who claim officers in uniform provide reassurance, a deterrent and a point of contact for the community .

However, Mr Alston, who last week announced he is not seeking re-election next year, claims offi - cers need to be doing specific tasks.

He said: “There are not going to be enough police officers to do everything. We need focused police actions.

“ Police are not getting it right if officers are just walking around streets.”

He also claimed the best way to improve public confidence was t o reduce crime and catch criminals , rather than just being seen.

He added: “Public confidence and fear of crime really matter, but we want to get police thinking proactively.”

He pointed to the 10 per cent drop in home burglaries since police started using intelligence to target patrols.

However, he insisted taking bobbies off the beat did not mean local policing was not important.

Mr Alston said: “Bobbies had beats because they didn’t have telephones, they didn’t have cars.

"We want our police officers focused where we know they can make a difference to crime reduction.

"You don’t want bobbies on the beat, you want highly-trained detectives.”

In 2013/14, about £126.5million was spent on local policing. In 2014/15, this fell by about £13million and is still falling.

Police officer numbers have dropped from 3,600 in 2010 to about 3,000 now and could drop as low a s 2,000 by 2020, according to the Essex Police Federation.

PCSO numbers have dropped from 445 to 280.