It seems that every week another police force announces potential job cuts. Last week a leaked email from Strathclyde Police claims civilian staff 'to be cut by 25%', police jobs cuts 'a harsh reality' in Sussex, while Wales is looking to shed '12% of the budget of which 83% is currently spent on personnel'. The list goes on…

So where will the axe fall and what are the implications for the thousands of police backroom staff and frontline officers?

A decade of spending ends

The last 10 years saw a rapid rise in the numbers of civilian police staff. Both permanent and contract staff and PCSOs began taking on roles that were traditionally only carried out by SWORN officers – from investigation and enforcement to community safety and a raft of admin duties.

During the same period, government spending on the police also rose sharply. The number of police officers reached an all-time high of 142,151 in 2009 – 15,337 higher than a decade ago, said the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (CCJS) in a recent study.

Calling time on overtime

More recently the level of overtime payments has come under intense scrutiny. CCJS says that in England and Wales they soared by about 90% between 1999 and 2009, hitting £400m last year.

Naturally, many frontline officers are concerned that the current round of cuts signals the end of current overtime payment practices. A situation not helped by reported rifts between ACPO and the Police Federation in how they're responding to the Government's consultation on Policing in the 21^st Century.

What the cuts might mean

Clearly, police resourcing is facing very challenging years ahead. The case of Strathclyde Police shows that civilian roles are likely to be the first to go. Beyond any redundancies that safeguard frontline police, there will be so-called efficiency savings across the board.

For police forces, it may accelerate the process of merging the current 43 police forces in England and Wales to a significantly lower number. The job cuts proposed in Kent have already prompted discussion about a potential joining of forces with Essex.

At present, Kent has 3,794 police officers and 3,175 police staff, including police community support officers. In Cambridgshire, the worst case scenario of the cost reductions needed by police would be equivalent to the loss of more than 1,000 officers or all the Force’s staff. With similar ratios of police to civilian staff replicated across the UK, many officers are facing the scenario of more work, less opportunity for overtime and an effective pay cut.

How will forces respond?

As part of the budget cuts, every police force is looking at how they recruit and manage their people and use them effectively. This 'root and branch' approach is geared towards making savings, but it might also create some new opportunities and alternative routes to employment with the police.

Martin Jerrold, MD Red Snapper Recruitment, comments, "While times remain tough for police forces, it may mean they have to innovate the way they resource their service. At Blue Line Jobs, we've been working with police forces across the UK for many years in providing temporary and contract staff in more flexible ways. Our experience is that staffing costs can go further and frontline police are better able to focus their primary tasks. Recruiting staff quickly, cost-effectively and only when they're needed is a trend I can see continuing."

What next?

Over the coming months, the level of cuts across all public services will become clearer. For the police, key questions on the ratio of police to civilian staff and overtime payment will remain hot topics.

If you're currently a police officer or civilian staff, it's a case of staying focused on 'the job', and planning for the worst while hoping for the best. Plus, you can take the opportunity to have your say on Policing in the 21^st Century before the consultation ends on 20 September.