A third of officers in the New Forest are to be replaced by PCSOs in cost-cuttting measure

They will be replaced by Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) as Hampshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Hayes, battles to save £25m over the next two years.

Last night the cuts came under fire from John Apter, chairman of the Hampshire branch of the Hampshire Federation.

Mr Apter, whose organisation represents rank-and-file officers, said: “This is very sad for policing. Neighbourhood policing is an integral part of what we do and replacing police officers with PCSOs is a step backwards.

“It sends out a very bad message about the worth of police officers, who feel very let down by this sort of thing.

“PCSOs working shoulder-to-shoulder with police officers is the right course of action but what we’re seeing is a move towards neighbourhood policing being delivered purely by PCSOs, who have very few powers.

"I speak to members of the public about policing and many of them agree with the Hamphisre Police Federation that police officers are an important part of neighbourhood policing and they want to see more of them not less.”

But Hampshire Police say the changes, that will see nine of the 31 posts in the New Forest go, will enable the force to deliver the necessary savings while maintaining the current standards of service to the community.

A spokesman said: “Some forces have moved away from a neighbourhood policing model but this is not right for us.

"We remain committed to rural policing, with Country Watch being ring-fenced to enable recent progress in this area to continue.

“While there will be a reduction of nine neighbourhood police officers across the district there will be an increase of nine PCSOs, who will play a vital role in engaging with the communities.”

The review will also result in all response and patrol officers moving to Lyndhurst and operating as a single team with “softened” geographical boundaries.

It comes just weeks after it was revealed that Lymington police station (above) is to close, with officers transferring to another location in the town centre.

The spokesman added: “The Police and Crime Commissioner’s estate strategy ensures that neighbourhood policing remains at the heart of local communities and to work with and share facilities with key partners where possible.

“No building will be disposed of until an alternative location within the same community is found for police officers and staff.

“Mobile technology allows officers and staff to work out of various locations, alongside our partners, in the heart of the communities we serve.

"We already have a number of police officers and staff successfully working from alternative locations such as New Milton Town Council offices.”

Chief Inspector Simon Tribe (above) confirmed that changes being made across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight would result in fewer police officers.

But he said the remaining officers would be more visible and accessible.