MORE than 650 police officers and staff posts across Thames Valley Police could be axed to save millions over the next three years.

The force needs to save almost £22m by 2017/18, with a budget deficit of £11.7m in 2016/17 and £10.2m in 2017/18.

Chief Constable Francis Habgood, who took over the role from Sara Thornton on April 1, promised to do everything he could to use the resources allocated to protect frontline policing.

But he said: “There has also got to be an honesty with the public about what services we can and can’t deliver in the future.

“I don’t know what the threat is going to be.”

Police officers cannot be made redundant but Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) can and officer posts can be cut.

There are already plans to axe 36 police officers and 37 staff posts in 2016/17 and a further 61 staff posts in 2017/18 after the force announced the loss of 187 officer posts and 16 staff posts in November.

In one of her final reports to the Thames Valley police and crime commissioner Anthony Stansfeld, Sara Thornton proposed to cut another 143 officer posts in the first year and another 179 in the second, a total of 358 officer posts being cut.

Police staff and PCSOs also face reductions, with a total of 303 posts potentially being cut over the two years.

But acting deputy chief constable John Campbell said: “The numbers quoted simply show what could be saved by losing posts. At this stage it does not relate to actual posts.

“The shortfalls are projections based on the limited information that we have available and the potential reductions in police and staff numbers are only indications.”

He said that even if posts are cut, few people would be made redundant: “Each year we naturally lose police officers and staff due to retirement, relocation or resignations so it is expected that a high percentage of these savings will be achieved through those.”

Mr Stansfeld said in his draft delivery plan for 2015-16: “The number of staff we employ will not keep pace with the growth in population and it is likely that staff numbers will continue to fall.”

Graham Smith, chairman of Thames Valley Police Federation, which represents police officers, said: “If we do sustain the number of officers lost as proposed we are going to see a reduction in frontline policing, either in neighbourhoods or reactive policing.

“Officers are worried for the future because they know should the cuts come through, they’ll have fewer people to deal with an everincreasing demand.

“With those reductions my colleagues will really start to struggle – and they are already struggling with the work load.”

He denied the public should feel less safe but said: “It’s going to take longer to meet those demands placed upon us. People will be waiting for two or three hours instead of one after a crime.”

Since the report was presented on March 26, Ms Thornton has left TVP to take on the new role of chairwoman of the National Police Chiefs Council. Andrew Smith, Labour prospective parliamentary candidate for Oxford East, said: “I am very concerned at the impact of such cuts, which would mean fewer police on the streets.

“This flies in the face of what local people want to see and would weaken the prevention and prosecution of crime.”

But Victoria Prentis, who hopes to replace Sir Tony Baldry as Conservative MP for Banbury, said: “Cuts made to police budgets are necessary – as were spending cuts across the public sector – because of the situation left by the last Labour government.”

The numbers

AS of September last year there were 4,401 officers and 2,623 staff across Thames Valley Police.

Police officer numbers in the force fell by 63 from 4,412 to 4,349 between September 2010 and September 2011.

By March 2013 the number of officers had fallen to 4,322. In the last two years, almost 700 police officers, staff and PCSO posts have been cut.

There are already plans to cut 36 police officers and 37 staff posts in 2016/17 and a further 61 staff posts in 2017/18 after the force announced the loss of 187 officer posts and 16 staff posts in November.

In the most recent plan, the proposal is to cut another 143 officer posts in the first year and another 179 in the second, a total of 358 officer posts being cut.