Force to lose 139 officers in 12 months

Humberside Police will lose 139 officers over the next 12 months as it grapples with hefty budget cuts from the Government.

Chief Constable Tim Hollis has admitted crime investigations across East Yorkshire will suffer after the force confirmed a total of 231 job losses this year – including 92 back office staff – as part of a plan to save £30m by 2015.

“To take 20 per cent out of a force is quite a cut, and it cannot be done without having an effect on operational policing,” he said.

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Despite the cuts, however, the force will continue to borrow money to finance its plans to spend more than £40m on new buildings including a huge new headquarters in Hull.

Mr Hollis said the existing Hull headquarters building was “past its sell-by date”– but the plans have drawn considerable criticism from some quarters.

Hull City Councillor and former chair of the Police Authority Colin Inglis said the scheme “looks very much like the sort of grandiose project we became used to in former years”.

Humberside Fire and Rescue will also see reductions in staff numbers, with 72 job losses approved and 70 more under review as the service saves £7m by 2014.

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The biggest loss of jobs will be in firefighters who crew specialist appliances, such as those used in major fires or road traffic collisions. Such equipment will no longer be operated 24 hours a day, leading to fierce criticism from the Fire Brigades’ Union.