LOCAL communities should have a greater say over the police, it was suggested today.

Top Kirklees councillor Ann Raistrick said police were driven too much by nationally-imposed targets.

She added: "These national priorities are not necessarily the ones that local people, or police in the local divisions, want to see.

"There needs to be greater flexibility in the system, to allow locally- set targets."

Her call came in Kirklees Council's response to a Government consultation paper.

Clr Raistrick, council Cabinet member for safer communities,

called for more police authority members to come from councils and groups such as Neighbourhood Watch.

Clr Raistrick said more and more cash was being put into policing by councils.

More local influence was needed on how it was spent, she added.

The council's response to the consultation document also calls for more emphasis on community policing.

"People want to see a police presence which reassures them in relation to reducing the fear of crime," said Clr Raistrick. "It's about time the police got into the 21st century in terms of computer technology.

"Officers spend hours typing their own reports, when many will think their time could be put to better use if the force embraced modern computer technology methods."

Clr Raistrick also said the complaints system was still seen by people as the police service policing itself.

"There needs to be a fully independent complaints process, perhaps on the same lines as that for the National Health Service," she said.