LOW level crimes may not be attended by police as dwindling resources force officers to prioritise calls.

Incidents such as shed break ins or minor criminal damage may not see officers despatched to the scene, according to the Police Federation.

West Yorkshire Federation chairman Nick Smart said police had to prioritise calls. "We don't have the resources or funding to deal with everything," he said.

But Mr Smart insisted he would expect to see West Yorkshire officers attend more serious crimes like burglary.

Former Thames Valley Police chief constable Sara Thornton, now head of the National Police Chiefs Council, has warned the public should no longer expect police to routinely turn up to reports of burglaries, as forces focus on emerging crimes such as child sexual exploitation and terrorism, at the expense of traditional incidents.

Mr Smart said 80 per cent of modern police work focused on issues of vulnerability, such as CSE, safeguarding, counter terrorism, cyber crime, human trafficking and missing people, while the other fifth involved traditional crimes such as burglary and theft.

He said: "Vulnerability issues are complex, time consuming and take up resources and in the last two or three years they have become high priority for police forces.

"We still have to do the traditional policing and detect and prevent crime, but we can't do everything we used to. For low level crimes, like minor damage, where there are no witnesses, no suspects and no crime scene, would we routinely turn out? - probably not."

But Mr Smart said that burglary remained a priority for West Yorkshire Police.

"I have heard nothing to suggest we won't continue to prioritise burglary and I would expect us to attend the scene and do our level best to find who has committed it and bring them before the courts."

But he added: "The public needs to understand that the nature of policing is changing.

"We try to prevent as much crime as we can. But with a third less staff and a third less budget, something, somewhere has to give."

The Federation is running a public awareness campaign, called #CutsHave Consequences, pointing out that West Yorkshire Police has lost almost 1,000 officers - one in five - in five years amid £163 million Government budget cuts.

West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Mark Burns-Williamson, said: "Tackling burglary remains one of my top priorities and here in West Yorkshire burglary rates have reduced by nearly 20 per cent as a consequence of this focus.

"This is despite the severe government cuts which will mean West Yorkshire Police’s budget will have reduced by over 30 per cent by 2016/17 with more cuts to come.

"I will ensure that the police treat burglary seriously and investigate it appropriately. This includes officers attending crime scenes."

Assistant Chief Constable, Andrew Battle, said: "Reducing the number of burglaries is a top priority for West Yorkshire Police. But, with other demands on resources, it is vital that we do all we can to promote simple crime prevention steps to help reduce the opportunities for would be thieves. The continued support and co-operation from the public in reporting burglaries, providing information and helping us to identify suspects will be more important than ever in the months and years to come."