POLICE chiefs have been accused of putting the public in danger by allowing the recruitment of civilian staff to outstrip that of uniformed officers.

Research by the Police Federation found the proportion of police to staff has fallen sharply over the past decade. It warned that staff already outnumber officers in Surrey and Northamptonshire – while other forces are on track to follow suit.

In West Mercia, officers still outnumbered civilian staff in 2009 – 2,436 compared to 1,994. But figures show a 91 per cent increase of staff since 2000, compared to a 30 per cent rise in officers. In 2000 there were 1,044 staff compared with 1,887 officers.

Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation, called on the new coalition Government to order a full and independent review of policing. “At a time of financial restraint across the public sector, a rise in police staff numbers is absolute nonsense when the public want more police officers on the beat,” he said.

“Instead we have increasing numbers of unaccountable, unidentifiable police staff who do not have the flexibility or resilience to give what is needed as an emergency service.”

According to Home Office figures, the average ratio of police officers to staff – including police community support officers – in 2000 was 2.3 to one and by 2009 it had shrunk to 1.4 to one.

New Police Minister Nick Herbert promised to cut bureaucracy to allow more officers on the beat.

The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said staff were often employed to take the “administrative burden” away from officers.