AS A new report finds Merseyside Police is using its resources well to "fight crime and keep communities safe" the region's police commissioner has warned budget cuts are putting the force in jeopardy.

Inspectors from Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary ranked Merseyside as "good" in every category in their annual review..

But commissioner Jane Kennedy today warned this rating is jeopardised by on-going cuts imposed by central government.

And she fears the service will be reduced to emergency response only with little or no capacity to prevent crime, leading to "disastrous consequences" for the future.

Merseyside Police has already cut its budget by £77m since 2010 with a further £48m of savings already being demanded by the Government by 2019.

Ms Kennedy said this further cost reduction is "unsustainable" and fears it will "seriously affect the ability to maintain its excellent service to the people of Merseyside."

She said: “The fact Merseyside Police continue to be rated as ‘good’ across the board, despite the savage cuts we have faced, is remarkable."

"It is testament to the skill and expertise of the chief constable and his team and the commitment and professionalism of his officers, PCSOs and staff.

“I congratulate them on this report and thank them for all their hard work and dedication.

"We are already having to consider cutting our highly-valued PCSOs and mounted sections and, even if we make this deeply depressing decision, it would still only create less than half the cuts required.

“These cuts will see the force’s workforce decimated by more than 40% in less than a decade and the reality is that with so few people Merseyside Police will be unable to deliver all the services it currently does. It is simply unsustainable."

The report highlights the ways Merseyside Police is “using different ways of working and new technology to reduce demand on its services, often by working with other organisations.”

Inspectors also commended the “tight control of expenditure” and the force’s good track record in achieving the savings required.

The reports say the force's overall workforce numbers are 5,951 full time equivalents.

This is projected to reduce to 4,964 by March 2018 - a 16.58 per cent drop. 

The reduction in the workforce between 2010 and 2015 has been greater than average for forces in England and Wales and is forecasted to continue to be a much steeper cut than the England and Wales average through to 2018.

Ms Kennedy added: "It is appalling that this Government is jeopardising so much of the good work the force is doing

"If the Government continues on this path it will reduce the force to an emergency response service only with little or no capacity to prevent crime, work with its communities or support victims and vulnerable people.

“With crime now starting to rise, the Government needs to start supporting our police service, sooner rather than later or the consequences could be disastrous.”

Birkenhead MP Frank Field said: ‘"This is immensely serious.

"The cuts since 2010 have already jeopardised the efforts of the police in Birkenhead to address residents’ concerns about the safety of their streets.

"Further cuts might put at risk the chance the police have in being able to respond quickly to reports of crime and antisocial behaviour and, as important, catch and charge those responsible."

Councillor George Davies said: "We need urgent assurances that public safety will not be put at risk.

"Frank and I are inviting Jane Kennedy to address our next meeting of the Birkenhead Constituency Committee.

"We hope Jane will be in a position to outline in detail what the proposed cuts might mean for Birkenhead’s residents and business owners and what action will be taken to keep them safe."