There are conflicting pressures say police leaders

A BBC Look East investigation has discovered that many of them are likely to be millions of pounds in debt by next April.

Norfolk Police and Suffolk Police look set to be hardest hit. They each face multi-million pound shortfalls.

Northants Police and Cambs Police are facing shortfalls of �1.7m each.

Norfolk police are trying to head off a �7.8m deficit by next April.

Frontline cuts 'a possibility'

Against that figure the force expects to receive about 3% from central government plus council tax precepts which, depending on what they receive, could take the debt down to between �1.1m and �3.8m at the start of the new financial year.

Norfolk police say they need a 6.4% increase in funding simply to stand alone next year.

Jim Wilson, chairman of the Norfolk Police Authority, told the BBC: "We are going through the budgets very vigorously to see what savings can be made and we may possibly have to take something from reserves."

Asked if it was likely there would be frontline cuts, he said : "We'll do everything we can to avoid that but clearly at the end of the day that's a possibility because 83% of our budget is people costs - once we start cutting back on people you affect delivery of service."

He added: "The situation leading to preparing the budget next year is extremely concerning.

"Every budget situation is difficult, the new factors this time are the government's imposition of much tougher efficiency targets and the government's very real pressure to keep council tax precepts down."

Suffolk police are facing a �6m deficit.

'Difficult situation'

Forces knew spending levels would be tough after last year's big hike in council tax bills which partly met police spending demands.

A number of forces were capped, including Northamptonshire.

Its police authority spokeswoman Rosemary Youle said: "It's a very difficult situation trying to square demands from the Home Office and the public in policing with demands also for lower council tax."

A Cambridgeshire Police Authority spokesperson said the situation "looked quite bad".