Crime will rise because of shock cuts to the probation service in Sussex, the Government has been warned.

Union leaders and the Conservatives reacted angrily to the revelation that £400,000 has been stripped from the county’s budget this year – the equivalent to funding for 11 jobs.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw was warned criminals would be less well supervised after their release from prison and courses to prevent them reoffending would have to be scrapped. The result, said the National Association of Probation Officers (Napo), would be higher crime.

According to Ministry of Justice figures, Sussex probation service will suffer a 2.2% cut in its budget in 2009-10, a loss of £399,000. Napo believes the cut could claim 11 jobs in the county.

Harry Fletcher, from Napo, warned that the £29.3 million being cut from the national budget this year was just the tip of the iceberg. Already, up to 300 of 550 trainee probation officers would be “heading straight on to the dole” this year when they complete their courses.

Mr Fletcher said: “We are anticipating up to 800 job losses in this financial year, which is bound to mean the quality of supervision will suffer.”

Answering questions in the Commons, Mr Straw insisted the probation service had seen a 70% real-terms increase in funding during the past 12 years.

In 2006, the National Audit Office calculated the cost of employing 300 probation officers as £11 million – suggesting a budget cut of £29.3 million could claim the jobs of 799 staff.