THE head of policing in Brighton and Hove says things will be ‘tough’ after 1,000 job cuts were announced.

On Tuesday Sussex Police said it planned to cut 500 police officer roles and up to 500 staff roles by 2020 to save £56 million, amid wide-ranging changes, including relying more on technology and reducing demand.

Policing districts across Sussex are to be combined, district commanders reduced across the force by six and officers will work where they are most needed. Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, divisional commander for Brighton and Hove, said: “If you really need the police, we will be there for you.

“Policing is not just about responding to incidents, however, and protecting the public and reducing offending is also about proactive and partnership working. So we will keep a focus on this but we will now be operating in a more flexible, targeted way.

“Despite the challenges this is bringing, we have enthusiastic officers and staff here who we are equipping better and better to help them be more efficient and keep people safe.

“We have more volunteer special constables than ever working in the city. They alone have worked more than 600 hours and have made more than 146 arrests since the beginning of November.

“We will keep catching offenders and protecting the public – tough though that is going to be. We do not want to let the public down.”

Lewes MP and former crime prevention minister Norman Baker, meanwhile, branded the planned cuts “unsustainable” and questioned whether they had to be made.

He said the projected £56 million gap in the force’s budget could depend on which party was in power.

Mr Baker, who stepped down as crime prevention minister in November, blaming the Home Secretary, said: “They should not be anticipating that what will happen in a Conservative budget – they should be looking at various scenarios.

“Over the last five years it has been acceptable to have reductions in police budgets because that is connected with a fall in crime. But I am not happy with these huge cuts.”

Graham Hill, of the Victim Support charity, welcomed plans to ensure one named officer is assigned to victims throughout their case.

He said: “We do receive feedback from some victims of crime that they do not always know where to go to contact somebody about their case. This should help to resolve this particular issue.”