Hundreds of Sussex Police staff to take redundancy Published duration 22 January 2011

image caption Chief Constable Martin Richards said it was inevitable jobs would be cut by 2015

More than 300 staff are to leave Sussex Police as part of the force's bid to cut costs.

Sussex Police said 307 employees would be leaving by the end of March under its voluntary severance scheme.

The redundancies are part of cost-cutting measures which aim to save £52m by 2015.

The force, which announced plans to cut 550 staff and 500 officers in September, said the scheme's success would limit compulsory redundancies.

'Difficult decision'

Chief Constable Martin Richards said: "This action is about us being on the front foot. We have to make significant savings and we have been open about having to lose posts.

"This scheme, suggested by Unison, provides an opportunity for individuals to leave the organisation voluntarily with an enhanced payment, and, at the same time, helps the force save money and reduces the need for compulsory redundancies."

He added: "There has been a lot of interest in the scheme and around 70% of the applicants were accepted. They will be leaving the organisation in the next three months.

"The panel looked at a number of factors when making their decisions but their primary consideration was the impact that decisions would have on our service to the public.

"I know that for many it would have been a difficult decision to apply for the scheme, one which in normal circumstances they would not necessarily have made.

"We are supporting staff as they leave the organisation and thank them for their service and wish them well for the future."

In December Sussex Police said it was considering closing some police stations and reducing the opening hours of others as part of its plan to make savings.