HAMPSHIRE'S top cop has revealed that the force is dealing with almost double the amount of rape investigations in the past year - at a time when the force is having to make multi-million pound savings.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh has called on public support as Hampshire battles to save £25m by next April.

Latest figures show that at a time when police budgets are being cut, officers in the county are dealing with a 94 per cent increase in rape offences in the year to February 2015, whilst sexual offences are also up by 67 per cent.

New figures also show 8, 329 reports of missing people investigated in 2014, 5,979 of which are children.

The information was revealed as the force announced that 96 per cent of all police officer roles in Hampshire are now frontline roles, the third highest in England and Wales.

The force says that this has been achieved as part of changes to police structures which will come into full effect on April 1, 2015.

Mr Marsh said the approach has enabled the retention of a strong neighbourhood police presence in the counties, with a senior commander and dedicated local policing team for each district in the counties and an investigation team which spans the two counties.

The new structure has enabled a required £25m saving by April 2016, taking total cost cutting by the force to £80m since 2010. By 2017 the cost of running the police estate with have reduced by £2 - £3m per year.

Mr Marsh added: “Policing is changing as we become more and more focussed on working with partners to protect vulnerable people.

We are well prepared, having redesigned the force to look and work very differently, but we have also made sure we retain the strong neighbourhood identity that has served our communities so well in recent years.

“This is a significant change for the force, and whilst we will look to realise the benefits for our communities as quickly as possible we will need time, hard work and support from the public to get it absolutely right.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Hayes said: “Public confidence in policing within Hampshire is high, but for all of our progress in preparing for the future, we have also been reminded this week of the looming spectre of further budget cuts.

“As I have been saying for many months now, this would have a major impact on the constabulary's ability to maintain and improve its performance in the future.

“I therefore invite the public, partners and those from across the political spectrum to join me in the coming months to make the case for protecting police funding and the new services for victims that I am pioneering through my police and crime plan.”