CUTS to police training could leave recruits without the skills needed to do their job, a North-East officer has said.

The officer, who does not want to be named for fear of causing embarrassment to his force, hit out at a shake-up aimed at bringing police training "in-house".

The Northern Echo revealed last week how a planned modernisation of training has placed a question mark over the future of the North-East and Yorkshire's main training centre at Durham police's Aykley Heads headquarters.

Satellite centres for probationers at Ponteland, North-umberland, and Harrogate, North Yorkshire, are also being closed over the summer, while a funding crisis has seen a residential training course at Durham cut from 15 to 12 weeks.

Last night, the officer, who retains close links with the Durham facility, said the current set-up provided a safe learning environment for recruits which, if replaced by on-the-job training, could be taken away.

He said: "Are we now expecting new officers to be confident to tackle the many situations which present themselves daily without the knowledge to back them up?"

The officer said the impact of the changes could lead to a further breakdown of communication between police forces of the kind that allowed Soham killer Ian Huntley to work at his local school.

He said: "Rather than bringing the training between forces closer together, we are suggesting that the needs of the community are better served by addressing training locally.

"In short, with time and resources tight to teach our officers on the job, I wonder if the interests of the majority will be served."

Centrex - the group responsible for police training - has been forced to make savings by the Home Office.

It plans to dispose of most of its leased training facilities, is sending a number of seconded officers back to their forces and could have to make some staff redundant.

A two-year Initial Police Learning and Development Programme will be extended across the region and is expected to be delivered mainly by police forces, possibly in partnership with colleges.

Home Office spokesman Matthew Freear said funding the police service remained a priority.