Update: 250 jobs to go at Hertfordshire police

AT least 250 jobs are set to go at Hertfordshire Constabulary over the next three years.

Chief constable Frank Whiteley announced management and admin posts would be slashed - adding he hoped there was no threat to police officers on the front line.

He was speaking at Friday's launch of the county's policing plan, which mapped out the force's priorities up until 2012.

He said: "We need to make radical changes if we are to achieve what we need to over the next three years, the economic climate means that losses are going to have to be made."

The Home Office has placed additional financial pressure upon Hertfordshire Constabulary.

More than 65 per cent of funding is made up of government grants, but constraints on the amount received have led to a shortfall of �3.7m in the force's 2009/10 entitlement.

Police authority chairman Stuart Nagler said: "Economically we are going through a difficult time, the shortfall will grow to over �12m by the end of the three years."

The Government is also imposing further targets to improve feelings of safety and public confidence.

County council deputy leader David Lloyd, a member of the police authority, said: "I do not believe the targets which have been set by the Government are achievable/

"We have a vested interest in making sure that our target is set at the right level."

Hertfordshire Constabulary are among the top performing forces in the country.

Crime levels have fallen five per cent on last year, while the answering of 999 calls within the target time has risen to 91.6 per cent.

Mr Whiteley said: "Losing staff is bound to have an impact on effectiveness if we do things in the same way.

"Therefore we need to do things differently by collaborating with neighbouring forces and developing new technology, processes and systems.

"We have shown in the past we can manage big changes, we just have to prove we can do it again.