A radical shake-up of policing in Staffordshire in which  officers are encouraged to consider “alternatives to arrest” will be rolled out in the south of the county from January, it emerged today.

Other changes include police dealing with less serious crimes over the phone rather than attending incidents in person. After being piloted in areas of Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle and the Moorlands the new approach will ‘go live’ in Cannock, Lichfield, Stafford and South Staffordshire from January 30.

Policies were reviewed following a £480,000 consultation with auditors KPMG.

Community penalties may be imposed instead of arrests as part of a raft of cost-cutting measures. Other options include street bail – where a suspect is arrested and bailed to appear later at a police station – or penalty notices.

It follows a business process review to improve service and reduce costs. Staffordshire Police needs to save £38 million by 2015.

Deputy Chief Constable, Douglas Paxton, said the changes had been successful since being introduced in the north of the county at the end of September. Recorded overall crime, violent crime and burglary are all down.

“These changes will make a significant contribution to preserving frontline services for the future,” he said.

“We’ve fine-tuned our approach to incident and defendant management, reduced the burden of crime recording and are encouraging greater use of alternatives to arrest where absolutely appropriate.

“The changes will help us maintain our commitment to reduce crime and keep our communities safe.

“Preparations for rolling out the new approach to local policing teams in the south of the county – including Tamworth, Lichfield, Cannock, Stafford and South Staffordshire – begin this month. We aim to go live on January 30, 2012.”

When the new system comes into force residents will be able to seek advice from a police officer over the phone or request an appointment. Officers will still attend emergencies, Dep Ch Con Paxton said.

Call centre staff will use greater “discretion” over which incidents take priority and should be responded to within the 60-minute target.