Devon and Cornwall Police have called RAC claims over traffic police figures "very wrong" after the company claimed there had been no officers on the road over a two year period.

In a recent report, the roadside assistance group said the number of traffic police in Britain had fallen by nearly a quarter this decade, and claimed that Cornwall and Devon "suffered the biggest cuts" with no full-time traffic officers employed between March 2011 and 2013.

The group said: "The figures represent a 'mockery' of driving laws as there are far fewer officers in place to enforce them.

However, the police claim these figures are false, and that they currently have 185 traffic officers on the roads across the two counties, with 35 in the Safer Roads support unit, another 35 in Serious Collision Investigation, and 115 officers in armed response vehicles (ARVs) which also have traffic responsibility.

The RAC had said traffic officer numbers dropped 76% between 2010 and 2014, from 239 to 57, but the police said the 239 number included ARV officers who were not included in the figures for 2011 to 2013.

A police spokesperson said: "To say we had no full-time traffic officers between 2011 and 2013 is also wrong. While the force was in a transitionary period during this time, traffic duties were still being carried out by many hundreds of response officers – along with serious collision investigators and ARVs."

From our perspective the figures given to the RAC are very wrong. This is largely due to the fact there was no local checking or consultation before they were published.

Pete Williams. RAC's external affairs head, said of the report: "These figures make a mockery of motoring law. If there are not enough police on the road, we can introduce all the new rules we want, but those breaking them just will not get caught.

"While cameras are good at catching speeders and drivers who go through red lights, offences that relate to general poor behaviour at the wheel still rely on a police officer to enforce them."