DORSET’S Police and Crime Commissioner will be lobbying the government to review budget cuts which he says has put the county at “tipping point”.

The force has already made savings of £10million and now has to achieve another £10million before 2014/15.

Older police stations could be sold and police officers given computers so they can work in the community.

The government has since announced the cuts will continue until 2018 and the Chancellor’s Autumn statement also made threats of a further two per cent reduction in 2014/15.

Martyn Underhill said he will be penning a letter to the Home Secretary and Chancellor to inform them that any further cuts past the £23million-mark “will put public safety at risk”.

“These are dire times for Dorset and its residents and the potential of further cuts takes us to a tipping point.”

Mr Underhill said that Dorset Police has been subject to a recruitment freeze since 2010 and if that were to continue until 2018 the service would become “critically unstable”.

“We have come to the stage where public safety will be put at risk – that’s how bad it’s got.”

The Commiss-ioner and Acting Chief Constable Debbie Simpson yesterday revealed their savings action plan – which they say will look at more innovative ways to police the county.

Ideas put forward include selling older police stations, replacing them with police hubs and giving officers tablets so they can work out and about in the community.

The force is also calling on the public to join the “Dorset Police family” as special constables, street pastors, mentors or through Neighbour-hood Watch groups.

A public consultation on the changes will take place at the beginning of January and will finish at the end of February/early March.

ACC Simpson said: “We have made significant savings over the past three years but these remain challenging times. We must find alternative, more cost-efficient and cost-effective ways of delivery our services.”

Dorset has 170 fewer officers than in 2010 and has lost 186 police staff and 24 Police Community Support Officers.

She said the force has achieved this without cutting back on frontline services.

There are four main areas the force has identified for potential cuts brought about as part of the government’s Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), these are: l Territorial policing to save £3.8m l Crime and criminal justice to save £2.3m by restructuring management l Operational support to save £2.5m by closing some police stations, introducing a victim bureau in the call-handling area, as well as introducing volunteers and collaborating with other forces to run some services such as the marine policing unit l Support services to save a further £1m Mr Underhill said the force hopes to recruit new officers in the coming year or two to “redress the balance” of the mix of experienced officers with those with under five years’ service.

Mr Underhill, who was elected as Dorset’s first Police and Crime Commissioner in November on a £70,000-salary, said he was making his dent in the force’s savings by refusing to hire a deputy – saving the force £54,000.