Warwickshire Constabulary is to reorganise its management structure in a bid to make savings to cover a £4.3m shortfall left by the budget settlement announced last month.

For the next financial year (Apr 1999 – Mar 2000) the force will receive £54.6m – an increase of £1m or 1.7% on the previous year - £4.3m less than the force needs to maintain current service levels.

During the next two months there will be a great deal of discussion within the force and the Police Authority to identify areas where things can be done more efficiently and therefore more cheaply. Recruitment will be limited and instead staff will be redeployed to fill essential posts that are needed to maintain a high quality service.

By April the force will have combined its four policing areas to form two new areas. Rugby will become part of the Northern Area (formerly Nuneaton and Bedworth), while Stratford and Leamington Spa will become the new Southern Area.

The aim is to streamline the management structure of the force and to focus its resources on front line policing. This does not mean that police stations will close – operational police officers will continue to be located where they are most needed.

The new areas are a similar size to those in other forces in the country which have proved to be highly effective in operational policing terms as well as cost efficient.

The commander of Southern Area will be Chief Superintendent Derek Cake, currently in charge of the Administration of Justice Department, while the present Northern Area commander, Supt Mark Jones, will take charge of the new expanded Northern Area. Supt Steve Arnold (Stratford) and Supt Annamaria Robb (Rugby) will remain as operational superintendents in the Southern and Northern Area respectively. Supt David Whitehouse (Leamington Spa) will lead a new team to look at forcewide strategic development issues.

Savings will be achieved through a reduction in duplication of administration and management functions. There is also the opportunity for more efficient policing, such as vehicle patrols covering a wider area rather than sticking to limited boundaries.

Chief Constable Andrew Timpson said:

"We have made some urgent decisions but there is still a lot of detailed work to be done before we can decide on the future shape of this police force.

"We have been working very hard to ensure that the current financial situation is not a disaster for the people of Warwickshire, on the contrary that it leads to a force that is highly efficient and effective, and the envy of the rest of the country.

"We are committed to our community and to working in partnership with othe agencies to ensure the best possible environment for local people."