Sussex Police jobs under threat

HUNDREDS of police officer jobs could be axed as part of cost-cutting measures by Sussex Police.

The force is looking to save £52million over the next five years.

Current estimates show there are likely to be 1,050 posts affected, of which 500 are police officer jobs.

It is unknown how many of these will be from Worthing.

Chief Constable Martin Richards insists the force is still “a long way from final decisions”.

“Job cuts are inevitable for both officers and staff, but we aren’t simply becoming a smaller force, we’re fundamentally changing the way we police to put people at the centre of all we do.

“This means unburdening officers and staff from unnecessary paperwork, freeing them to use their initiative and respond to local needs.

“Of course, we don’t want any of our people to lose their jobs, but this is a reality when faced with spending cuts of this magnitude.”

The exact amount of money the force must save will not be known until the government’s autumn spending review.

MP for Worthing West, Peter Bottomley, said: “I am confident the approach and the leadership given by the chief constable will lead to the best policing possible within Worthing.”