LONG-SERVING police officers in North Yorkshire will not be forced to retire this year amid cash cuts.

North Yorkshire Police looked at whether to invoke a law allowing the force to demand the departure of some of its most experienced officers, as it faces having to save millions of pounds because of Government funding reductions.

Regulation A19 allows police chiefs to require the retirement on the grounds of “general efficiency” of officers who have accrued their full pension entitlement, which is normally secured after 30 years’ service.

But North Yorkshire’s chief constable, Grahame Maxwell, has opted not to adopt it in 2011/12, after the force revealed the number of officers who are intending to retire during the year will be enough for the books to balance.

Mr Maxwell sent 48 officers a letter in February asking if they would let him know when they were likely to retire.

Of the 35 who replied, 22 said they intended to leave during 2011/12.

A report, which went before a meeting of the North Yorkshire Police Authority, said: “As the number of officers who intend to retire during this financial year is within the tolerance levels of projected officer retirements and will enable North Yorkshire Police to achieve its balanced budget, the chief constable has decided not to invoke Regulation A19 at this stage.”

Members of the authority had agreed in December to approve the use of Regulation A19 and allowed the chief constable to determine when to invoke it.

A scoping exercise was conducted of all officers who had either achieved 30 years’ pensionable service or would achieve 30 years’ pensionable service by March 31, 2012.

The report said that the decision would be reviewed on a month-by-month basis, with the chief constable having the powers to review the situation at any time.