Plans to open a police office in Soham have been put on hold due to lack of cash and it could take at least 12 months before it is known if the project will be viable in the future. Ely Sector Inspector Adam Gallop said it had been hoped the base would have been operational by now but it had not been possible to get funding for essential computer equipment. This would have enabled community beat managers and Police Community Support Officers (PCSO's) to book in and complete their paperwork in Soham rather than spending time travelling to and from headquarters in Ely - a move which Inspector Gallop said could have given officers up to an extra hour a day in the town. "It would improve police visibility and officers would be able to spend more time in the communities in which they are based," he said."I was very enthusiastic to get it up and running. However, we have now hit a brick wall," he added. Cambridgeshire Police are currently trying out palmtop and laptop computers and Inspector Gallop said if this was successful he could look at trying to secure funding for these - but it would take at least a year before the trial was completed.  A base for the police office has already been identified. However, Inspector Gallop said he did not want to disclose where it was until the project got the financial backing it needed. Eventually, it is hoped that a base in the town will improve response times to incidents and provide a local police contact for Soham residents. Inspector Gallop said: "We are still working positively towards opening the office and it is still a clear objective. However, it is taking a lot longer than we anticipated." Former Sector Inspector Richard Douce originally put forward the idea some 18 months ago because the Ely police sector had grown by 250 square miles, in line with East Cambridgeshire district boundaries, and now covered 700 square miles. Inspector Douce felt the office should be opened so officers were more accessible in the southern part of the sector.