West Midlands Police proposes 2,314 job cuts

More than 2,000 jobs are likely to go at West Midlands Police by 2015.

A report by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has found 2,314 police jobs are proposed to go, including 1,250 officers.

The force said it is facing a £126m reduction to its budget over those four years, which equates to about 16% of its gross revenue expenditure.

HMIC said it estimated more than 34,000 police jobs will be lost in England and Wales by 2015.

Figures supplied by the force to HMIC showed the proposed cuts meant 1,051 fewer police staff and 13 fewer Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

The force and police authority has "clearly demonstrated their understanding of the scale of the financial challenge facing them", a HMIC spokesman said.

In May, some officers who had been forcibly retired due to the budget cuts were invited to return to policing and work for free as Special Constables - volunteer police officers.

The police authority has previously said it expects to lose 649 officers over the next four years through forced retirement under regulation A19 of the Police Pensions Regulations 1987 where their retention would "not be in the general interests of efficiency".