CUMBRIA Police chiefs have approved plans to save £620,500 from a support service within the force.

The savings - made possible by a replacement IT system for case and custody files - will lead to loss of 20.5 full-time equivalent jobs.

The system - to be implemented in November 2015 - will streamline and modernise how case files will be sent to the courts/CPS. 

The force says the public are 'unlikely to see any change as a result of this', and it should not impact on the service they currently receive.

Cumbria Constabulary currently operates CJUs from two sites (Carlisle and Barrow). From November CJU provision will operate from a single site – Barrow (there is also a central strategic management team based at HQ which is not affected by these changes).

CJUs currently employ 45.59 FTEs – this will be reduced to 20.5 FTEs.

Chief Constable Jerry Graham said: “We appreciate the hard work of all our staff and officers, and difficult decisions affecting our workforce are not made lightly. In an ideal world we would not want to make any staff member redundant, however the Constabulary continues to face major financial challenges and current budget forecasts show that a further £10.8 million needs to be saved by 2018/19.

“In order to continue to provide a viable independent police force for Cumbria, difficult decisions need to be made, and savings found wherever possible “High quality case files are of the utmost importance to the Constabulary, and we are dedicated to ensuring that any changes that are made to current processes do not negatively impact on cases going through the court systems.

“We will continue to develop and utilise innovative digital and mobile working, while protecting frontline policing as much as possible.

“This is a challenging time, but I remain committed to providing the best possible policing service we can afford for the people of Cumbria.”