SCORES of backroom staff could lose their jobs under a planned “strategic alliance” between Avon and Somerset Police and the Wiltshire force.

The link up – which bosses are keen to point out is not a merger – would help achieve significant savings over the next five years.

Under the initiative, there would be: *two independent Chief Constables accountable to two PCCs; *a common approach to policing; *local policing will remain locally managed with local commanders; *a shared vision and values; *governance will be shared with each partner having an equal voice; *costs and savings will be shared fairly; *a target of £30million in revenue savings by 2018/19, with resources for local policing preserved as far as possible; *existing partnerships with councils or other forces to be fully considered; *consultation with staff and the public to ensure the service meets the needs of local communities and delivers value for money.

A programme director is currently being recruited and a joint design and implementation team will be set up to plan the transition.

Kevin Phillips, of the Avon and Somerset Police Federation said: “This is about cost savings and is just a scoping exercise at the moment.

“My concerns are more for the police staff than officers – I think it will cost jobs in HR and finance departments, for example, but it probably won’t affect frontline policing.

“This was on the cards with Labour looking at regionalisation in 2006.”

Sue Mountstevens, PCC for Avon and Somerset, said: “Having agreed to enter into an alliance back in January, we have now signed a legal framework which underpins this agreement.

“This important step demonstrates our shared desire to move forward with our plans and the benefits it will bring in delivering savings and help us minimise the impact of cuts on frontline policing.

“I’m pleased that we’ve also agreed the initial phase of work for a joint project team and which will help establish exactly what the alliance will look like in terms of the resources we’ll share.

“We remain committed to our local policing and supporting our communities and this will underpin our work on the alliance.”