SUSSEX Police wants to hire more officers who are black or from ethnic backgrounds.

The force wants to fill vacancies for 100 police constables. In particular this is in a bid to recruit more people from cultures which it says are "under-represented" at the moment.

It is the first time in two years the force has recruited new officers and is amid huge funding cuts.

There are plans to get rid of 500 police officer roles by 2020 in the wake of a crunched government budget. The latest round of vacancies has been made possible because of a higher levy on taxpayers which helps fund emergency services.

Deputy chief constable Bernie O’Reilly said: "Now is an exciting time to join Sussex Police as a police constable, the force is setting out its vision for the future of policing, to achieve the best possible service by protecting those most vulnerable, catching criminals and keeping the public safe.

"Policing such a diverse community requires a depth of understanding and respect of culture and difference and we really do encourage applications from under-represented groups to apply.

"It is so important to find talent from all backgrounds to achieve our vision, to be the best possible police service Sussex deserves."

Police constables could go on to become detectives, firearms officers, dog handlers or work on special investigations.

The force is pressing ahead with plans to redesign chunks of its service to save £50 million by 2020 due to government budget cuts.

In July neighbourhood police teams will operate with fewer staff and cover 16 larger areas. Some 137 PCSOs will be cut and the number of police officers on these teams will be reduced by more than two thirds.

The force's core grant is dropping this year from £98.4 million to £97.8 million, and its grant from the department for communities and local government will drop from £54.2 million to £53.9 million.

Matt Webb, chairman of the Sussex Police Federation which represents rank and file officers, previously told The Argus the new recruits were welcome but they needed to be looked at in the context of the overall cuts.

Candidates can apply until midnight on October 23.