"With reduced recruitment and significant financial constraints, there is no surprise we continue to see a reduction of police officers and staff across England and Wales. Chief officers are faced with difficult decisions on the future of services provided by their forces, which cannot be underestimated.

"There are challenging times ahead, however, the effectiveness of policing cannot be measured by the number of officers alone but by reductions in crime and increases in public confidence. As a result, the service continues to seek new ways of working and new approaches to reducing demand and cost as this loss of experienced staff continues."