Having enough resources to keep the community safe while highlighting the funding issues faced by the police is a “difficult balancing act”, the Police and Crime Commissioner of West Yorkshire has admitted.

Mark Burns-Williamson said he had already challenged Home Secretary Theresa May about the cash shortfall which will see the force lose around £100million by 2015. The budget for the new financial year, £420million, shows that officers had a pay freeze in 2012, but will be getting a one per cent pay award in 2013 and again in 2014.

That cash amount is £18million less than last year. The budget also showed that there is an estimated underspend of £14million which will be used to offset the extra savings required to be made in the budget for 2013/14.

A project titled Operation Transform has been implemented at West Yorkshire Police which aims to protect frontline services as far as possible while making savings in support functions.

The strength of the force is expected to drop from 8,606 to 8,368 during this year, made up of 4,957 police officers, and 3,411 police staff. Funding streams relating to crime, drugs and community safety have been allocated a cash pot of £5.3m for the next financial year.

Mr Burns-Williamson said: “As the budget decreases over the next five years, we are going to need to look at new ways of innovative working to get the best out of resources available.

“Sadly, overall we are losing more officers that we can recruit. I have taken the view that actually we can manage this through recruitment of officers when those who have done 30 years leave, to avoid complusory redundancies.

“It means you have fresh officers into the force because if you don’t do that and continue to have a freeze on recruitment you have a workforce that doesn’t reflect progression or add diversity. The government have taken £100million out of our budget and it becomes more difficult to find the savings to mitigate that.

“As we go further with cuts employed by the government for West Yorkshire Police, maybe we need to look at alternatives. The vast majority of police staff are going through voluntary redundancy, but compulsory redundancy might have to be considered at some point.

“It is a difficult balancing act. I have got to try and outline the funding difficulties and challenge that with the government.

“That is balanced against making sure the police service have resources available to keep our community safe.”