Slashing spending could cut the “Dixon of Dock Green” policing expected by the public, West Yorkshire’s Chief Constable has warned.

Sir Norman Bettison said senior officers are striving to absorb funding shortfalls without damaging the frontline, but he admitted forces will have to prioritise essential work and that could mean some “nice to have” services being axed.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Home Office officials, Sir Norman said police may have to turn down everyday requests for help.

He said: “We will have to prioritise and that might leave some of the ‘nice to haves’ not being delivered any more.”

Asked what might be cut, he said: “I am thinking of the level of cats stuck up trees or people who might need the help of police to get into vehicles or houses where they have locked themselves out.

“It sounds a bit ‘Dixon of Dock Green’ but there is still an awful lot of what might be called public service that police do.

“What we have got to do is make a judgment not on the type of call but the vulnerability of the caller. Our stock and trade is risk and harm and striking the balance.”

Senior officers have warned that national resilience must not be damaged by potential cuts.

Michael Downes, chairman of West Yorkshire Police Federation, said: “There is now even more reason for a Royal Commission to have a look at what we deliver as a police service and what the public expects us to deliver. We can’t continue to be all things to all people.”