NEW figures have revealed that there are now nearly 250 fewer PCs in Gloucestershire compared to a decade ago due to ‘dwindling resources’ with allegations that policing is ‘in crisis’.

There are now fears that crime will rise due to funding cuts and falling officer numbers.

Police workforce data, released by the Home Office on Thursday, includes the latest staffing figures and completes a decade of published information.

It shows that in 2007 there were 2,484 full time employees within Gloucestershire Constabulary, including 1,046 PCs and 133 of the voluntary specials.

However, the latest figures show there are now 816 PCs, a consistent year-on-year decline since 2009 which has resulted in drop of 230 and the total workforce to fall to 1,991.

The number of special constables has fluctuated throughout the last decade, starting at 133, rising to 203 by 2012, with a return to 132 last year, now falling further to 118.

Police and crime commissioner Martin Surl says that resources for front line policing are dwindling amid further police funding pressures which have already seen cuts of £30 million.

“Policing in this country is at a crossroads,” he said.

“Demand is constantly rising and changing but the resources we have to police the front line are dwindling.

“Since 2010, with the comprehensive spending review, we’ve had to take out £30m from the running of the police in our county - that hurts.

“We’ve had to reduce officer numbers from over 1,300 down to just over 1,000 and at the same time we’ve had to cut the number of police support staff. “My job, and that of the chief constable, is to make the best of what we have.

“Despite tough times, Gloucestershire has weathered the storm with relatively low crime compared to big increases nationally.

“We like to attribute this to pro-active policing and preventative work that is done through the Commissioner’s Fund, as recently praised by the Policing Fire Minister Nick Hurd for leading the way.

“My concern going forward is that crime will go up as the cuts over the last seven years take their toll.

“On the upside, it is my assessment that Gloucestershire Constabulary still provides a good service and comparatively speaking, is in better financial health than some.”

A police spokesman said that these increasing pressures have forced it to find “new ways of working” to “make the most of the resources.”

In May, Sarah Johnson, the chairman of Gloucestershire Police Federation – which represents the workforce on issues such as pay and welfare – said that policing was “in crisis” due to increases in police demand alongside funding cuts.

“There remain increases in police demand which cost more money,” said Sarah.

“Whether that’s finances to pay for equipment or finances to pay for staff, there are greater demands put on each police force because of legislation that’s implemented.

“Changes, and we keep being told that we have to change and we do change, but change costs.

“We’ve never seen sickness levels at the rate they are, and 80 per cent of long-term sickness is down to psychological.

“Every day we see somebody broken, every day somebody else needs more help, and to that respect we are in crisis.”

There are 42 fewer PCs than last year, while the largest drop was 69 from 2009-2010, the largest drop in full-time employees was from 2011 to 2012 with a fall of 129.