Police form 'special' budget team

The force warns if it had to save �10m, 300 police officers could be cut

More concerns about Devon and Cornwall Police budget cuts have been revealed.

The force has already produced a briefing document for local MPs, alerting them to possible service cuts.

But it is so worried about future funding, it has set up a special team, under some of its most senior officers, to try to maintain services.

The team has looked at possible funding settlements for future years and "worst case scenario" figures could mean having to save £13m per year by 2011.

Investment uncertainty

The force said it was doing everything possible to protect police officer numbers by cutting bureaucracy and finding efficiencies - but such a figure would inevitably mean reducing the number of police officers.

In a briefing document, it indicated having to find savings of about £10m a year could result in cutting up to 300 police officers.

The police have said they can find a few more efficiencies, but not to take in the scale of cuts that may be on the way, without losing frontline officers.

The force has also warned that future investment, such as its new police station in Bodmin, would be threatened if budget cuts were severe.