FRONTLINE policing in Hampshire is under threat after the force was told it faced nine per cent grant cuts over the next two years.

The Home Office confirmed the cuts in police funding announced in October’s spending review.

Policing minister Nick Herbert said the funding reductions would be ''challenging'' but insisted that forces should be able to find savings while protecting frontline services.

John Apter from the Hampshire Police Federation, which represents uniformed officers, warned the force faced a “very difficulty and challenging time ahead,” adding: “If ministers think that such dramatic and swingeing cuts will not impact the frontline of policing they are living in cloud cuckoo land.

“I will be urging the chief constable to ensure that fully trained, fully warranted police officers continue to be visible in all aspects of policing.”

The spending settlement comes as finance bosses at Hampshire Constabulary prepare to slash up to the cash equivalent of 1,400 police jobs – a fifth of the force – in a bid to save £70m over the next four years.

Government grants make up about two-thirds of the Hampshire Constab-ulary’s £314m budget.

The authority will see its Government grants cut by four per cent to £220m next year. It faces a further five per cent cut in 2012/13 – a total of 8.8 per cent.

The Government said it would continue work with forces on value for money, greater collaboration between forces and to remove costly “unnecessary bureaucracy”.

Hampshire Police said it was still crunching the numbers but deputy chief constable Andy Marsh said: “The chief constable has stated that he wishes to protect the funding of as many frontline services as possible, including targeted patrol teams, safer neighbourhoods teams and local crime management, until at least April 2012.”

Councillor Adrian Collett, vice chairman of Hampshire Police Authority, added: “We are committed to maintaining and improving the level of service to our communities.”