WILTSHIRE Police have nearly doubled their workforce of support staff in the last nine years to almost equal the number of officers they employ.

The force – which has 1,145 staff compared to 1,192 warranted officers – claims the move has cut crime and boosted public confidence in the police by freeing-up officers to spend more time in the community.

But the Police Federation, the frontline police association, has warned that forces would put the public in danger by allowing staff recruitment to outstrip officer numbers.

Mark Milton, director of resources at Wiltshire Police, said: “Our view on this is that we really should take the focus away from police numbers. “What we believe the public are interested in is the quality of the service they receive.

“Generally, on a like for like basis, a member of police staff doesn’t cost as much to the public as a police officer, but that is not the direct reason for the change.

“We have always focused on how best we can deliver the service, but if it is one of the roles that doesn’t need a police officer and we can deliver it with a skilled, qualified member of police staff then that’s what we do.”

Force figures for Wiltshire show the numbers of police staff, including PCSOs, increased from 861 in April 2001 to 1,145 in April 2010. Meanwhile the numbers of officers across the county rose over the same period from 1,056 to 1,192.

Mr Milton said: “We have largely invested in roles that free up the police officers and get them to undertake more operational duties in the community to give the public the time they expect and deserve.

“This investment we have made over recent years has meant that neighbourhood police officers now spend more than 80 per cent of their time out of police stations.”

The areas where Wiltshire Police have particularly invested in police staff include forensic investigation, custody suites and front desks at police headquarters.

More information technology staff have also been employed to build and manage systems which allow officers to work remotely via handheld computers.

Mr Milton pointed out that these are often very skilled and play a significant part in fighting crime and protecting the public.

He claimed that the new organisational structure had helped cut crime by seven per cent in the last 12 months and significantly improved public confidence in the force over the last two years.

Mr Milton rubbished the warning from the Police Federation, claiming it was incorrect to suggest that a force would risk public safety by employing a few more staff than officers.

But he said the force planned to maintain the level of police staff and officers in the foreseeable future.