MORE police for LESS money at Cambs Force

The Chief Constable of Cambridgeshire Constabularly Simon Parr has told Heart if they meet savings targets he might be able to employ more officers.

Cambridgeshire Police are in the process of recruiting 50 officers, despite having to cut £30m from it's budget over the next 4 years.

Chief Constable Simon Parr has been speaking to Heart and says for the time being, those recruits will just be to balance those leaving or retiring: "Those 50 officers will be joining us over THIS financial year to keep our numbers up by the end of March. We are trying to maintain numbers of constables - but at the moment we don't have the money to increase numbers.

If we hit our savings target, and if we exceed them, then there is the opportunity to increase the number of constables and other operational staff including police staff members who are police officers in really important operational roles - that's the aim. I REALLY don't want to say any fewer officers on the streets.

Chief Constable Parr added: "We are currently looking at everyone who works in offices at the moment to see if we can get them back on the streets, or whether the work they do is SO vital it needs the skills of a police officer but despite what you hear sometimes, keeping a police officer in an office or on the phone talking to victims might well be good value for money as well."