TO COMBAT huge funding cuts, Kent police has come up with a plan to secure front line policing.

The police force will increase the number of neighbourhood officers out on the streets from 800 officers and staff to 1,200 in a bid to redesign its policing model.

Existing officers from within the police team will be used but it is not yet clear how many will be placed in north Kent.

It follows the need to find £53m over the next four years following government funding cuts of 20 per cent, and a recruitment freeze.

Chief constable Ian Learmonth said: “This will provide a more efficient response to persistent policing problems, working with local people to ensure crime is effectively tackled.”