CUTS in budgets look set to force a reduction in PCSO numbers as West Midlands Police seeks ways to save £130m.

The force is carrying out a spending review and neighbourhood policing is under the spotlight as chiefs struggle to balance the books.

Top officers say 2,500 jobs need to go in the next five years, which will make the force smaller than it was when it formed in 1974.

West Midlands Police Chief constable, Chris Sims, said: “By 2020 WMP will have reduced by almost 45 per cent over a decade. I am confident though that policing will continue to protect the public but how services may look and be delivered will have to alter - both to respond to the financial challenges we are facing and to new and growing threats like child sexual exploitation and online crime.”

The first results of the spending review will be announced in the autumn and although bosses say the public will not see a dramatic difference, changes are unavoidable. 

Chief constable Simms said: “The autumn won’t see a suddenly different force but we will be able to outline to the public and begin testing, our proposed new ways of working. 

“We are clear that we are not pulling away from engaging with the public or from having a uniformed presence on the street - the current phase of work is designing what that engagement might look like.

“We haven’t finalised our eventual numbers of PCSOs but it is clear there will need to a significant reduction in the numbers between now and 2020. 

“We will be working hard to ensure this is managed in a way that does not diminish the delivery of a policing style that is firmly connected to the communities we serve.”

West Midlands police and crime commissioner, David Jamieson, said: “Neighbourhood policing is key to our relationships with communities. However, in the face of growing pressure on our services, the force will have to look and feel different to respond to crime in the future.”