2,500 West Midlands Police jobs to be axed in £120m cuts

The grim forecast has come from Chief Constable Chris Sims, who has already cut £126m from the budget and lost 3,000 people from the payroll since 2010.

Overall, this means the strength of the force is expected to fall by more than 5,000 people to just 8,500 in a decade.

It is unclear how many of the further job losses will involve police officers - one estimate suggests 1,800 - but this will be achieved through natural wastage since they cannot be made redundant.

The Chief Constable warned the cuts would result in fewer bobbies on the beat and major changes to the force's neighbourhood policing programme that currently has 2,000 police officers deployed across the region.

West Midlands Police Federation deputy chairman Tom Cuddeford said: "We are going to struggle to maintain the service people have come to expect. Cuts have consequences.

"You need boots on the ground and less officers working the beat means less engagement with local communities. We went into neighbourhood policing to reassure the public and build up their trust and confidence. Now that is in danger of being lost."

The bombshell news came as the force unveiled the 2020 Blueprint for West Midlands Police, which pinpoints 36 major changes to working practises aimed at making the best use of new technology to cushion the effects of austerity. The plan is the result of a £25m five-year deal with private consultancy firm, Accenture. It was launched last summer and will trigger a £100m drive to revolutionise and streamline the way the force handles data, uses mobile and digital technology and interacts on social media .

"There has to be some change but this will not affect the protection we give. It is about the way the service presents itself. The public will be no less safe but the way we provide that security will be different.

"But if we do not retain the engagement and support of the public none of this will fly."