POLICE numbers in Petersfield are set to be cut and the townÕs station could be merged with Whitehill.

And fears have been expressed that officers could be patrolling larger areas, which could have adverse effects on response times.

Gareth Jones, Deputy Divisional Commander of Central Hampshire, confirmed this week that officers would be transferred from Petersfield to other areas of the county.

He also confirmed that proposals to merge Petersfield and Whitehill stations were being considered.

But he stressed that, whatever the outcome of those proposals, officers would still be based at Petersfield.

Divisional commander Jones said police officers would be lost from Petersfield, Whitehill and other stations in the division.

ÒAt this moment in time it is a proposal and subject to staff consultation. There will be officers transferred from Petersfield and Whitehill. We are not sure of numbers, either two or three at both locations,Ó he said.

ÒWhat is important is the reason why officers are being transferred, not just from Petersfield and Whitehill, it will be a loss of officers at other stations in central Hampshire.

ÒThe reason for that is the resource allocation formula, which consists of a number of different variables. The conclusion of that is that some divisions are deemed to have high workloads, which means they should have more officers, and central Hampshire is deemed to have less officers. Ó

On the issue of a merger, he added: ÒBoth stations will still have police officers working at them. There may be some arrangement where we group officers together to provide the best service. One proposal is joint working between the two stations. That is still subject to staff consultation.Ó

He added: ÒI would hope we would be reaching a final decision in two or three weeks. Once a decision is made the nuts and bolts, the mechanics of how it works, will be decided.Ó

The news comes at a time when rising crime levels in the town are causing concern among residents and businesses.

The man in charge of Petersfield police, Insp Steve Sargent, said the station would continue to provide a locally-based service but the cuts would make it more difficult.

ÒWhen our staff levels are cut back by the force, it will make it more difficult to provide the service that people want and our task is to adjust our methods of working so that we can provide the best possible service to the public,Ó he said.

He added: ÒAlthough a possible merger with Whitehill has been suggested, the details have not been decided yet. Whatever happens, police will still be based at Petersfield police station and we will be providing a locally-based service in the best way that we can, given that we will have fewer officers.Ó