More than 100 police and community support officers will be lost from Lincolnshire this year due to a £3.2 million pound budget cut.
The reductions have come following the Government’s announcement in December of the funding settlement for the force.
Chief Constable Bill Skelly said ‘tough choices’ will have to be made following the announcement.
Police officer numbers will be reduced by 40 while Police Community Support Officers will drop by 30.
The Chief Constable continued: “We have made significant savings over several years and are working hard to increase our efficiency by investing in technology to provide a safe policing service to Lincolnshire.”
“We are continuing to press for increased investment in the next government spending review to address the disadvantages of a historically unfair funding formula and to allow us to continue to provide the best service to the people of Lincolnshire.”
Chair of Lincolnshire Police Federation, Jon Hassall, said: “The prospect of losing 40 officers from our already stretched front line is certainly going to undermine our ability to continue to deliver a quality of service to the people of Lincolnshire.
“We will need to be completely candid about what we will no longer be able to do for them.”
Lincolnshire Police will need to make £3.2 million worth of savings during the financial year to March 2020.
These include:
- Support staff employed by the force will be cut by 10% which will amount to approximately 30 posts;
- G4S, a strategic partner with the force will be making reductions which amount to £1 million;
- Reducing core police officer numbers and police Community Support officers;
- Also, reducing overtime, the vehicle fleet and scrutinising other key support functions for further savings will be on-going.
Chief Constable Skelly has made it clear that although Government funding is going to be cut, the support and work of Lincolnshire police will remain of a high standard.