THE number of officers in Avon and Somerset Police has dropped over the last year, new figures from the Home Office show, prompting a warning forces are 'sleepwalking into a nightmare'.

The reduction in police officers across England and Wales to the lowest level since 1996 has led the Police Federation to warn that "policing in the UK is on the critical list".

In March, there were the equivalent of 2,597 full-time officers in Avon and Somerset – a drop of 70 on March 2017.

The figures also show that less time was being spent on frontline policing – 2,319 officers were available for frontline duties in March this year, down 130 from 2017.

Ché Donald, of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: "These new figures are proof, as if we even needed it, that policing in the UK is on the critical list.

"Thanks to government funding cuts, we now have the lowest number of police officers since 1996. The figures show we have lost more than 21,300 officers since 2010 – that’s a drop of 15% and the numbers keep going down every year."

Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner, Sue Mountstevens, said a recruitment programme for police officers had been restarted, thanks to the £1 rise in council tax precepts for the force.

"Following a £1 monthly rise in the policing part of the council tax in April, the constabulary is now recruiting up to 300 police officers this year," she said.

"I am currently speaking to local people about continuing with the £1 rise next year so we can sustain officer and PCSO numbers at this increased level going forward.

"It’s no surprise to residents that there are fewer police officers on our streets.

"We’ve made nearly £80m of savings in the past eight years and this means there are 655 fewer police officers.

"The challenge for me as the area’s Police and Crime Commissioner is to sustain the recruitment of officers within the current funding we receive and sadly I need local people’s support to do this as there is not enough money from central government to protect policing."

The latest crime figures show an 11% rise in recorded crime across England and Wales, and a 19% increase in violent crimes.

In Avon and Somerset, recorded crime was up by 1%, while violent crime saw a 4% increase.

Mr Donald continued: "We have a Government who recently launched their Serious Violence Strategy – yet failed to make one single mention of the falling numbers of officers, which they were rightly criticised for.

"You would think that every time we have the same conversations about rising crime, particularly violent crime, it would be a wake-up call for the Government. But instead it just feels like we are sleepwalking into a nightmare."

The total police staff in Avon and Somerset, including police community support officers and administrative staff, increased by 13% over the last year.

The minister for Policing and the Fire Service, Nick Hurd, said: “The number of people joining police forces is at a 10-year high and demonstrates that policing is still a desirable and sought-after career.

“Decisions regarding the number of officers and how they are deployed are a matter for police and crime commissioners and chief constables. They are best placed to understand how to meet the needs of local communities.

“However, I’ve spoken to every force about the changing demand they face and we are helping with a £460m increase in overall funding 2018-19, including increased funding to tackle counter-terrorism and increased funding for local policing through council tax precept.”

Earlier this week, a Home Office report showed that government funding for Avon and Somerset Police had decreased by 2% between the 2015-16 and 2018-19 financial years.

Overall funding, however, increased by 5%, as council tax payers picked up the bill with a 17% increase in the precept they paid.