Concerns have been raised that police may no longer attend burglaries in Sandwich after the town saw 43 incidents in the past year.

Sandwich town councillor David Wood said for an isolated community like Sandwich this would be “devastating”.

It comes after the head of the new National Police Chiefs’ Council, Sara Thornton, said in an interview with the BBC that police may no longer attend burglaries due to government cuts and needing to focus on other areas.

She explained that crime is changing in the country and there are fewer burglaries and less car crime than there used to be.

She said: “The sorts of crimes that are on the increase – sexual offences, concerns about terrorism, cyber crime – that’s where we really need to focus. We need to move from reacting to some of those traditional crimes to think about focusing on threat and harm and risk and protecting the public.

"For an isolated community like Sandwich, that is devastating news. I’d urge David Cameron to think again about the cuts he is bringing into Kent." - Cllr Wood.

“If we’re really serious about putting a lot of effort into protecting children, for example, it might mean if you’ve had a burglary, for example, and the burglar has fled, we won’t get there as quickly as we have in the past.

“Of course, we will still want to gather evidence, but we might do it in different ways.”

In Kent, the police force was cut by £50 million in 2010, resulting in the loss of 500 officers and 1,500 staff. This saw Sandwich lose its police station. This year further cuts of £14.5 million were announced for the 2015/16 budget.

A shocked Cllr Wood said: “Two years ago we lost our police shop in Sandwich and we have to rely on police from Deal or Margate. Now it’s revealed if you’re burgled the police may not come to help. For an isolated community like Sandwich, that is devastating news. I’d urge David Cameron to think again about the cuts he is bringing into Kent.

“Though Sandwich is a fantastic town, there were 43 reported burglaries in Sandwich in just a little over a year, so it’s a major problem and this announcement could make it bigger.”