NEW cuts to North Yorkshire Police budgets will mean changes for the force.

Chief Constable Dave Jones said HMIC had classed the force’s efficiency as ‘outstanding’ and rated its financial planning for the future as ‘good’.

However, the Government has announced there will be a reduction to the national policing budget of 5.1 per cent, leaving local forces to deal with the outcome.

Mr Jones said: "Undoubtedly, policing in this age of financial cuts is extremely challenging but it is a challenge that we have faced up to and we have delivered the savings that we were required to make while still offering the best possible service to the people of North Yorkshire.

"There is no hiding from the fact that there are further financial challenges ahead but I am confident that we can deal with them effectively as we have done in the past. However, if the financial outlook proves to be more austere than we have planned for then we would have to revisit our current plans which are already challenging."

Mr Jones said the force was considering new ways "to become a more efficient and streamlined service while keeping officers visible".

Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, said the force was "in a good position to deliver on the financial challenges ahead", but said they would be "significant".

She said: "Frankly in our case, the doom and gloom scenarios over the last few days just aren’t warranted or accurate. Good decisions in the last few years have meant North Yorkshire Police is in a strong position to continue to deliver excellent services going forwards."

Mr Jones and Mrs Mulligan said officer numbers had been budgeted until 2016, and staff numbers would remain "broadly similar" until that point.