SIXTY-ONE police officer roles and 245 police support jobs have been axed in North Yorkshire in the last year, new figures have revealed.

North Yorkshire Police has shed one-in-25 police officer jobs as it works to balance the books after a 20 per cent cut in Government funding.

Meanwhile, 245 police staff jobs have been cut, the full-time equivalent of 244 roles, and eight police community support officers were also lost in November last year compared to a year before.

Assistant Chief Constable Iain Spittal said: “The figures show a reduction in officer numbers due to retirements, resignations and transfers. As we are not recruiting at present, most of these posts will not be re-filled.

“However, we have recently held a successful transferee recruitment campaign for the Scarborough and Filey areas. We expect between ten and 15 new officers to join us over the next few months.

“Despite the reduction in officer numbers, North Yorkshire Police remains one of the highest performing forces in the country. Since 1 April 2011, crime has dropped by seven per cent.

“This equates to 2,352 fewer crimes than the same period last year.

“At this point in time and for more than seven consecutive months, North Yorkshire and the City of York is the safest and lowest crime area in England.

“The latest Home Office crime figures reflect the sheer hard work and dedication of everyone connected to North Yorkshire Police and our partner agencies, particularly during what has been a very tough period in terms of public finances and an unprecedented level of reorganisation.”

But Coun Sandy Fraser, cabinet member for crime and community safety at City of York Council, said he feared a loss in officers and staff would impact on crime rates in the long run.

He said: “There’s a clear concern that the economic situation is causing crime rates across the country to rise. Acquisitive crime across the country is increasing – the police have predicted that is likely to continue because of the economic situation. For-tunately, North Yorkshire has escaped that trend to date but given the trend nationally, to cut bobbies on the beat is short-sighted.”

Nationally, it has been reported that more than 6,000 police have been axed in the past year with police forces in England and Wales shedding one-in-23 officers.