NORTH East police have missed out on a slice of £50million funding to increase numbers of officers on the streets.
Forces across the country will get cash to buy hand-held computers in a bid to cut time for officers doing paperwork.
But Durham Constabulary had its application rejected by the Government and Northumbria Police did not apply for the funding.
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upt John Bell, head of communications at Durham Police, said: "A bid was made for funding and it is disappointing to hear we have not been successful.
"However, we are pursuing similar projects ourselves through existing funding and resources and work on these will continue."
Assistant Chief Constable Keith Mavin, of Northumbria Police, said: "We chose not to bid for hand-held devices on the basis that the force was already examining how best to utilise mobile data.
"We are looking to further extend the capabilities of the existing radio system."
Tony McNulty, Policing Minister, said the hand-held computers were aimed at reducing bureaucracy in a bid to improve efficiency and increase the amount of time officers spend on patrol.
He said the devices will be used for accessing databases, confirming a person's identity and dispatching officers to incidents.
The minister said they can also be used to fill out crime reports and scan fingerprints at the scene of a crime, which can then be emailed to a lab for matching.
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