Setting out his party's draft election manifesto to tackle crime and restore confidence in 'Britain's broken criminal justice system', Mr Adams revealed there were 816 violent attacks on residents last year compared to 413 ten years ago.

He said: "This Labour government has launched endless initiatives and top-down schemes, which have made little difference.

"Their broken promises have undermined people's trust. We can't go on with the police filling in forms instead of fighting crime.

"I've spent time on the beat with our hard-working local police officers and they deserve the highest praise. But many people across Selby district are hugely frustrated with our criminal justice system."

Conservative pledges include giving citizens greater protection in defending themselves against intruders in their homes, creating 15 new rape crisis centres, granting district councils more powers to fight booze-fuelled anti-social behaviour, publishing detailed street-by-street crime statistics online every month and ensuring anyone carrying a knife in public is imprisoned.

It also wants to replace the 'invisible and unaccountable' North Yorkshire Police Authority, and make officers accountable to an elected person responsible for setting priorities for local policing.

Mr Adams added: "These major Conservative proposals will help put the law back on the side of local people in Selby district and give our police the full support they deserve."

But MP John Grogan countered: "I think Nigel presents a rather partial picture of crime in Selby district.

"Overall, local crime figures are well down during the past decade, as the Tory-controlled Selby District Council often points out. There are also a record number of police on North Yorkshire's streets, and neighbourhood policing has been restored to our towns and villages.

"While I support some of Nigel's proposals, such as dealing with the below-cost sale of alcohol, I don't think a plan drawn up in Conservative Central Office in London is necessarily the answer in rural Selby district."

q Gun crime in North Yorkshire is the lowest in the country, according to national figures.

Statistics published by the Home Office state during 2008 and 2009 there were only 1.4 firearms offences per 100,000 residents of North Yorkshire and the City of York – more than ten times lower than the national average of 15.1.

The 11 reported offences also mark a 35 per cent fall from the previous year's figure of 17.