Changes announced to Suffolk’s policing workforce signal another nail in the coffin for community crime fighting, a union has warned.

Suffolk Constabulary has today revealed a proposed restructure that would involve slicing the number of police community support officers (PCSOs) by half, from 81 to 48 full-time equivalent posts.

The force has 107 budgeted PCSO positions, but has not filled vacancies since 2017.

The restructure would also see more than 100 officers move into safer neighbourhood teams (SNTs). This would mean there would be 159 police constables and 26 sergeants in Suffolk’s SNTs.

The Suffolk Police UNISON Branch has criticised the proposal to axe that many PCSOs.

The union wrote on Twitter: “It’s terrible news for them and their families, bad for Suffolk and another nail in the Community Policing coffin! #fightpolicecuts”

It urged people to write to their Suffolk MP and to the county’s police and crime commissioner Tim Passmore and chief constable Gareth Wilson to demand a rethink.

Suffolk Constabulary said the changes would help it deal with increasing demands and satisfy the public’s desire for more visible policing.