LONDON (Reuters) - Hampshire police outlined plans to shrink its workforce by 20 percent on Friday, the second force this month to hint at reductions, as concerns grew over the effects of cost cuts on fighting crime.

Police officers patrol outside the Houses of Parliament in London September 10, 2010. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Hampshire Chief Constable Alex Marshall said a staffing review, which includes front-line officers, could mean the loss of 1,400 jobs -- one fifth of the workforce.

Last week the head of Kent police said government austerity measures may lead to the loss of 1,500 civilian and officer posts, while Cambridgeshire’s chief has likened the downsizing to a policing “Armageddon.”

As Hampshire sketched out its plans, the powerful Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents rank and file officers, added its voice to the growing concerns.

It said budget cuts, to be announced in a government spending review next month, could mean up to 40,000 frontline police jobs could go.

Police and Criminal Justice Minister, Nick Herbert, said the figure was highly speculative because no one knew what the savings to be hammered out by the Treasury were yet.

“I understand the Police Federation wants to make its case and protect every job, but we must be careful not to frighten the public,” he told Sky news.

“Police forces can make savings. They can become more efficient. They can share services and procure equipment better.”

Marshall said Hampshire constabulary, alongside other forces, needed to streamline to meet a government budget reduction target of 25 percent over four years, equal to savings of some 70 million pounds.

He said the cut “means we will have fewer police officers, police community support officers and police staff working for the force, and we will look to achieve any reductions through the natural turnover of staff, but we cannot rule out redundancies.”

The potential loss of jobs, he added, “would impact on what we can do” and the loss of support roles “will mean frontline staff will have to work differently.”

The chairman of Hampshire Police Federation, John Apter, criticised the plans saying they “will have a massive impact on policing, especially on visibility.”