EDITORIAL FEWER COPS, MORE ROBBERS.

NOW we see the consequences of City Hall's failure to rehabilitate the Los Angeles Police Department.

Down 1,100 officers, the department finds itself hard-pressed to guard potential targets against terrorism and patrol the streets at the same time.

Gang violence is up. Robberies are up. Car thefts are up. And most distressing of all, homicides have skyrocketed.

Citywide, homicides have jumped 9.2 percent this year - and in the San Fernando Valley, they have increased by a horrific 22.4 percent.

That statistic points to another alarming trend: The increase in crime is more dramatic in the Valley than in other part of the city.

In the Valley, the rising rates of robbery, auto theft, burglary, larceny and aggravated assault have all steadily outpaced the rest of L.A.

Clearly, the Valley suffers a disproportionate share of the increased crime and carries the burden of a disproportionately low share of the LAPD's patrol staff. With police stationed at Los Angeles International Airport, City Hall and various houses of worship, there are even fewer officers able to protect Valley streets, and the street hoodlums know it.

Most distressing is the surge in homicide, the most telling indicator of public safety.

For a variety of social, economic and demographic reasons, the homicide rate has spiked throughout many America's largest cities, suggesting that the latest crime wave is more than just a brief aberration in a decadelong downward trend. Unless City Hall gets serious about rebuilding the LAPD, our streets will become more dangerous, and gangs will be further emboldened.

On its present course, Los Angeles is headed toward a crime crisis. The rising number of crimes is dangerously matched by a declining number of police officers. Demoralization, poor relations between the union and the top brass and a backward discipline system have decimated recruitment and retention efforts.

Simply put, the LAPD lacks the manpower to contend with escalating crime and to make the city safe from terrorism. City Hall's failure to confront this problem has put lives at risk and makes potential victims of us all.