A NORTH-EAST police force will have to make cutbacks and shed jobs to plug a £6m shortfall, an MP claimed yesterday.

Durham City Labour MP Roberta Blackman-Woods said the gap could grow to £8m within three years unless the Government took steps to change its funding formula, and claimed Durham Constabulary might have to get rid of officers.

But last night the police authority's vice-chairman, Durham county councillor Joe Knox, rejected her claim and said the authority would do everything to maintain front-line cover.

In the current financial year the force, which has built its strength up to 1,700 officers over the years, has a total budget of £105.4m, £87.4m of which came from the Government.

But the force has had to make efficiency savings because former Chief Constable Paul Garvin claimed that Government funding was £3.6m short of what was needed.

Dr Blackman-Woods told a Commons debate on police finance that the force was again looking at savings because funding for the coming financial year, starting in April, would be £6m less than it needed.

She said the force, which could be merged with its neighbours to make a North-East force next year, had a "historically low-level budget".

Dr Blackman-Woods said the funding gap was forecast despite plans to raise the police precept on council tax by about five per cent - twice the inflation rate of 2.4 per cent - and the trigger point of possible capping.

She said: "We can use some reserves in the short-term to try to close that gap, but we are looking to reduce our base budget by £8m over the next three years.

"That will impact on the performance of the force, as it will require a reduction in the number of police officers and police community support officers.

"Overtime will also be reduced, as will the number of civilian staff. Clearly, we do not wish to see such consequences."

Dr Blackman-Woods said the Home Office's success in boosting officer numbers and cutting crime would be jeopardised unless the funding crisis was tackled.

But Paul Goggins, a Home Office Minister, said Durham was already set to gain £4.6m from a rejigged formula, adding: "That will help it to meet the needs in her area."

He said Government funding for the police nationwide had grown by 29 per cent after inflation since 2001, and as a result there were now more than 141,000 police officers, and a target of 24,000 community support officers was within reach.

Councillor Knox, a long-time chairman of the police authority, said there was a funding shortfall but dismissed the MP's claims of cuts in numbers of officers.

He said: "It is a load of rubbish. Do you think we'd allow that? If there are cuts we'll find them, but not at the expense of police officers.

"We have a duty to the public and our duty is not to cut back police officers.