AS statements of the obvious go, it is one of the best. With great fanfare, Hampshire police have unveiled their vision for the next three years and revealed that one of its main objectives will be – catching criminals.

Critics said it was ridiculous that senior officers felt it necessary to make the pledge in their 2009-2012 policing plan, which comes into force today.

New Chief Constable Alex Marshall even repeats it in a statement marking the release of the document.

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He wrote: “When I took over last year, I made a commitment to the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that their police will provide them with an excellent service, catch criminals and have an active presence in their neighbourhoods.”

Other priorities identified by the force include “making the most of our resources”, “equipping our team to deliver”

and “protecting our communities from terrorism and domestic extremism”.

Hampshire Police Authority, the body which oversees the force, says the document accurately reflects the wishes of the public.

Chairman Jacqui Rayment said: “We have listened to the views of people across the two counties and they have been guiding us when making decisions on the priorities for the next three years.”

But Goff Beck, New Forest District Council’s Cabinet member for crime and disorder, said: “I’m rather surprised that they’ve found it necessary to highlight [catching criminals] as one of their priorities. As for making the best use of their resources, that’s just common sense.”

New Forest West MP Desmond Swayne was also scathing. He said: “Why can’t we have bobbies on the beat – they would catch criminals just by being there.”

Susie Squire, campaign manager for the Taxpayers’ Alliance, said: “The primary function of the police is to catch criminals.

“It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money to state this.

“The police should spend more time doing their job and less time talking about it.”

A retired policeman living in Hampshire, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “Catching criminals is the number one objective of every police officer in the country. Listing it as one of the priorities is ridiculous.

“A bobby on the beat is worth 20 in the police station but too many officers are being deployed in the wrong way.”

A Hampshire Police Authority spokesman said: “It may seem as if we’re stating the obvious but it sets out what people can expect from the police.”