Hundreds of West Midlands police forced to quit jobs

Nearly 800 experienced West Midlands Police officers will have retired under a controversial scheme by 2015, it can be be revealed today. Officers with 30 years service are being forced to retire under regulation A19 to save millions.

Since 2010, 339 officers have left and a further 163 are expected to follow between now and the end of next April to help the cash-strapped force make savings. But up to 2015, it predicts that a further 272 experienced officers will be cut, taking the overall number to depart to 774.

This would be more than the 649 that was first estimated in 2010.

Staffordshire Police has also invoked regulation A19 as it seeks to slash officer numbers by 300, from 2,100 to 1,800, by 2015.

In a report to the West Midlands Police Authority's personnel committee, the force's chief constable Chris Sims said there had been a higher turnover of officers than originally projected.

He said: "The higher turnover of officers means that currently the force is exceeding the reduction in officer numbers originally projected. However, there remains uncertainty across a number of areas which may impact on this position. These include the general financial position within the public sector, which indicates that additional financial savings may be imposed by the Government."

The force has to save £126m because of cuts to its budget. Mr Sims has already made in the region of £78m of savings. In total, about 2,700 police officers and staff positions will go between 2015.

The Police Federation for England and Wales, which represents rank and file police officers up to inspector level, is against the use of A19. Some officers have pursued legal action on the grounds of age discrimination.

However, it is not yet clear whether certain employment laws apply to police officers. A19 will be discussed by West Midlands Police Authority at a meeting on Thursday.