DORSET police staff are under ‘intolerable’ pressure and need more support, according to the county’s police and crime commissioner.

Martyn Underhill says that the relentless acceleration of crime levels, coupled with millions of pounds being stripped from the force budget over the years, has put too much pressure on officers.

“I was a serving officer and I understand what they are going through. I wouldn’t like to be in their position today. What they are being asked to do is intolerable, it’s absolutely relentless, job after job after job and often no time to take a proper break or even eat properly,” he said after Tuesday’s police and crime panel which heard about the likelihood of more cuts unless the Government can find additional funds to support the service.

“Unfortunately many of them are feeling the strain, often psychologically, especially the younger officers…what they really need is less of a workload.”

During the meeting he commented on the use of overtime to fill shortages in rotas – with officers working well beyond their hours, or coming in on leave days, to make up numbers.

“We cannot have everyone working full stretch and earning overtime – sooner or later they’ll fall over. The force needs to invest in their well being.”

Chief executive at the PCC’s office, Simon Bullick said that some further cooperation with other agencies was possible to help share the load: ”What policing lacks is the ability to cope with demand…as an agency it is overburdened. What we now have to say is that we are, in future, are only able to cope with what is the most important, what we should be doing as a service.”

The meeting heard that around £800,000, taken from reserves, was currently being used to look at restructuring the force and the way it works on a day to day basis, including another look at shift patterns. The study comes in the light of the failed merger with the Devon and Cornwall force although co-operation still continues between the neighbouring areas.

Part of that investigation into ways of working may eventually result in a case being put to the Government for additional funding for Dorset, although the panel heard that similar pleas in the past had failed.

Mr Bullick said that other local organisations are now being asked to consider what effect cuts to their own services could mean for the the police who are often called on as the last resort to deal with crisis situations elsewhere in the public sector.