A POLICE force could lose nearly £10m in funding - enough money to pay for 300 frontline officers - because of its low crime rates.

Government plans to give poorer performing forces extra funding could mean North Yorkshire Police losing out.

The force stands to lose £9.7m in funding, starting from next year, if the proposals are agreed.

North Yorkshire has low crime rates - the lowest in England in the first three months of this year.

The North Yorkshire Police Authority said £10m would pay for about 300 officers.

But Mark Botham, chairman of the North Yorkshire Police Federation, said the proposals did not automatically mean jobs would be lost.

He said: "We are facing a £10m deficit, but that does not mean there will be job cuts.

"What it means as a force is that you have a straight choice if the Government funding is reduced.

"You either cut back in services or staff, or both, or you talk about massive council tax increases.

"We would be against reducing the number of front-line officers as it would have a massive impact on the health and safety of officers and the public.

"We would like to see no reduction whatsoever in terms of full-time serving officers.

"If 300 officers jobs went, in terms of numbers, it would put us back to a time around 2000 to 2001."

North Yorkshire Police receives £72m a year from central Government, 56 per cent of its total funding.

The force also has cash reserves of more than £20m, although some has been earmarked for various projects.

Mr Botham said: "We have been using our reserves to offset some of the funding gaps in the past. You can't keep drawing on the reserves to cover the deficits."

At present, the proposals are at a consultation stage and the North Yorkshire force is forming a response.

The police federation has joined with the police authority and Unison in attacking the proposed budget cuts.

A spokesman for the police authority said: "The authority is against job cuts on that scale.

"We will make representations to the Government to this effect."