“POLICE cuts have gone too far” a councillor has said, after figures revealed that there are now nearly 250 fewer PCs in the county than a decade ago.

County councillor Paul Hodgkinson linked the drop in PCs with the rise in levels of crimes such as shoplifting in Cirencester and antisocial behaviour in Bourton-on-the-Water.

“There’s so few police compared to what there was and it really is a problem,” he said.

“The cuts that there have been to the police force, the numbers, it’s all really coming home to roost now.”

Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl has said that resources for frontline officers are dwindling amid funding pressures which have already seen cuts of £30million.

Police workforce data, released by the Home Office on July 20, showed that in 2007 there were 2,484 full time employees within Gloucestershire Constabulary, including 1,046 PCs and 133 voluntary specials.

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

Earlier this year, Cotswold Police Sergeant Garrett Gloyn revealed that Cirencester had seen the number of shoplifting offences double between April 2016 and April 2017.

Speaking at the annual town meeting, the sergeant said the rise accounted for the 80 offences which saw the number of thefts jump from 364 to 444 over the 12-month period.

The overall number of thefts had risen by 22 per cent between April 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017 compared to the same period the previous year.

Last month, two prolific Cirencester shoplifters were jailed following multiple offences.

Ben Pullom, 35, was sentenced to two weeks for each of the four thefts he committed, to run consecutively.

Dan Ross, 24, was sentenced to 10 weeks in prison for each of the two offences he committed, to run concurrently.

Referring to shoplifting, Cllr Hodgkinson said: “It seems to me if you have a physical police presence on the ground, and you are going back to this cliché of bobbies on the beat, but the more visibility, the more likely it can be deterred.”

Since May, Cllr Hodgkinson has been part of a scheme to tackle the rise in anti-social behaviour in Bourton, which has meant working closely with the constabulary.

“A lot of these things, like antisocial behaviour, were less of an issue about 10 years ago, when there was a big push for community policing,” he said.

“You need eyes and ears on the ground and if you haven’t got enough police to cover what is a very big rural area, you’re snookered.

“Unless you get back to something like really good community policing then you’re just reliant on residents raising things, being the eyes and ears on the ground.

"But it’s clearly not working and the expectations of residents compared to what the police can actually do because of resources, they are not in synch.

"The government has to change course.”

Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl said the county had “relatively low crime” compared to national increases.

“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.

“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.

“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.”