Questions raised by MP over how long police took to corner Raoul Moat

THE hunt for Raoul Moat had not gone "as well as police would have liked it to", a senior MP said yesterday.

But Sir Alan Beith, Lib Dem MP for Berwick upon Tweed, said now was not the time to question how police had handled the search for the former nightclub doorman.

The MP, whose constituency covers Rothbury, said: "Quite clearly, it has not gone as well as they would have liked it to.

"The time for questions about how the police handled it is later."

Sir Alan, who chairs the House of Commons Justice Committee, has represented the area for more than 35 years.

Speaking before a briefing with senior police officers before last night's stand-off, Sir Alan said: "At the moment, they need all the help they can get to actually get the job finished and to bring this man in.

"I think questions can be more appropriately asked when there is time to think about them.

"At the moment, the police need to concentrate on what they have got to do now."

Before the police briefing, Sir Alan met local people during a stroll through the town centre.

Describing the community feeling, he said: "I think people are obviously worried and it is a worrying situation, especially for people with children and people in remote places.

"I think we just want to let the police get on with the job and they are giving the police all the support they can."

However, children showed their support for the police with cards and messages.

Youngsters in Rothbury passed cards and drawings to officers who have descended on the rural community to boost the search and provide protection.

They included get-well messages for PC David Rathband, 42, who was shot and injured on Sunday.