RESIDENTS are set to fight “tooth and nail” to save their police stations after the county’s police boss said he was “sure”

more would close to help meet an £8.5million cut in funding.

Essex’s Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston issued the warning after it was confirmed central Government would be cutting the force’s budget by a further 5 per cent in 2015/16.

He and Chief Constable Stephen Kavanagh believe this will lead to 100 more police officer jobs going by 2016, bringing the total lost since 2010 to 600.

Police bosses have admitted the cuts will prevent officers from being able to respond to all crimes with shed burglaries and vehicle crimes likely to be affected.

The job losses will come as PCSOs are also set to be cut back and it is not yet known howmany staff jobs will go.

Mr Alston said: “There’s some risk there will be some minor crime which will have to be policed in a different way. The expectation police will go out to every incident won’t happen.

“There will be some shed burglaries and vehicle crime that police can’t go to. They will go when they can, but the chances of success in those crimes by forensic detection are very slight.

“I am sure there will be more police station closures, but very few members of the public go to police stations.

“What we want is the police to respond quickly.

Where they are based should be irrelevant.”

Castle Point councillor for Canvey West Ray Howard said: “I would resist any closure in Canvey and would fight tooth and nail. There are exceptional circumstances for why Canvey should have a police station. There are two Control of Major Accident Hazards sites, it is below sea level and there are a lot of elderly residents here.”

Rochford councillor for Downhall and Rawreth Chris Black campaigned against Rochford police station’s closure.

He said: “People will be very concerned to hear this.

I don’t believe the need for cuts nationally is so great to jeopardise public safety. I can’t think of any area that could do without a police station.”

Government funding makes up about two thirds of the police budget and the cuts will mean the force has to run on £172.8million next year.

The council tax precept is expected to be increased by about 2 per cent to try to meet some of the shortfall.

At about 6p per week per household, the increase will make about £1.7million.

As well as 600 officer posts cut, the number of PCSOs will be reduced by half to just 250 by 2016.

It is hoped new technology and policing systems will help the force cope with some of the reductions.

Mr Alston said: “I understand the public’s concern, it is unnerving. But on the other hand crime reduction over the last few years has been really good in terms of robbery and burglary.”

He added it was possible police civilian staff could take on some red tape work, freeing up officers to go out into the community.

OPENING HOURS HAVE ALREADY BEEN SCALED BACK

SOUTH Essex has six police stations which are still open to the public.

Basildon, Southend and Rayleigh police stations are open to the public between 8am and midnight

every day, while Billericay, Pitsea and Canvey police stations are open between noon and

6pm.

Basildon and Southend’s police stations were formerly open 24 hours a day, but opening hours were

scaled back in 2012 to save cash.

It is not known which stations could face the chop in the next wave of

funding cuts.

Benfleet police station in the High Road, and Hadleigh police station, in Hall Crescent, closed about five years ago and were put on the market.

Leigh, Shoebury, Rochford, Corringham, South Benfleet, Wickford and Laindon stations all closed to the public in March 2012.