Concerns raised over plan to cut police force jobs

A former police officer said a force is looking through "rose-tinted glasses" if it thinks it can provide the same service after cutting 60 jobs.

Gloucestershire Police will redeploy its mounted officers and reduce the number of Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) as part of the changes to save more than £12.3m in the next year.

Reacting to the news, former officer Lee Thompson said he does not think Gloucestershire Police "will be able to provide the service the public are paying for".

Chris Gordon, CEO of community hub The Keepers, says that PCSOs have been "valuable" in listening to residents' concerns would not like to see them cut.

The cuts come as Gloucestershire Police announced plans to expand its neighbourhood policing capacity using government funds.

The force is expecting funding from the government as part of its Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, with temporary Chief Constable Maggie Blyth telling the BBC the next 12 months "are going to be really tough and involve some really difficult choices".

Mr Thompson was in the force for 20 years, and said the cuts came at a time where there are "more buildings going up" and "more people" to police.

"You're paying more [council] tax and getting less service," he said.

"There's always been cuts, all the time I was in [the force], but this is a big cut.

"There are areas where they can cope with the horses and that but it's still a lot to cut back on and for them to say they'll still give the same service, I think they're looking through rose-tinted glasses."

The Keepers in Wotton-under-Edge provides everything from food to professional advice and adult education.

Mr Gordon, its CEO, said he hoped for "not a lot" of police interaction when the hub was founded in 2020, but the PCSOs have been "valuable" in listening to residents' concerns.

"It feels like it's back to the old days... they really know everybody locally and everybody knows them by name," Mr Gordon said.

"Fingers crossed we don't have to pick up the pieces but sometimes, inevitably, we do."

Gill Westlake claims she has not "ever seen a policeman around" since moving to the Dursley area about 10 years ago.

With this in mind, she said the cuts would be "a pity", although she does feel safe due to her neighbourhood watch group and the WhatsApp group for her cul-de-sac.

"We inform each other about suspicious activity and that helps us keep tabs on what's happening," she said.

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