Police force warns of impact of £4m funding cut

A chief constable has warned that experienced police staff could be made redundant and replaced by trainee officers in order to save money.

Paul Sanford, the chief constable of Norfolk Police, has written to James Wild, the Conservative MP for North West Norfolk, claiming a £4m real-terms cut in funding meant the force could see front-line officers moved into office roles.

Sanford added he would do his "utmost" to prioritise services and minimise the impact the cut in funding would have on staff roles such as call handlers and members of the forensics team.

The Home Office has been approached for comment.

The Home Office announced last month how much money police forces would receive in 2025-2026.

Mr Sanford said Norfolk Police would receive £235m – an increase of £12.8m on the previous year.

Yet the increase will not be enough to cover rising costs such as National Insurance, staff pensions and pay rises, the chief constable said.

"As a result of this settlement I will be now forced to reduce the number of highly skilled and experienced police staff in my organisation and replace them with trainee police officers who cost more to employ, have an increased training requirement and are often short of the skills that exist in the police staff that I might now have to make redundant," Sanford said in his letter to Wild.

"In recent times police officer numbers has been used as the yard stick by which to assess investment in policing.

"An alternative approach would be to provide chief constables with the flexibility in their budget so that they could employ the right people or purchase the technology required to make our organisation more efficient."

Wild said he had written to the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, to highlight his concerns.

"Norfolk Police have delivered impressive results in reducing crime and solving cases, but this funding settlement does not reflect the realities faced by rural forces," the letter said.

"If the government is serious about fighting crime then it must ensure Norfolk has the resources needed to continue its success in keeping people safe."

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