Wonder what this is about - maybe more to come. If they are getting rid of non official staff at these levels, something may be brewing.
Durham police send out redundancy warnings
About 200 civilian jobs could be lost atDurham PoliceDurham police have issued redundancy warnings to all civilian workers in the force, includingpolice community support officers.
In total, 1,160 90-day notices have been sent out, although none have been sent to police officers.
About 200 posts will be lost at the force, the BBC understands.
The chairman of Durham Police Authority said the notices were to inform employees that their jobs were potentially at risk.
Peter Thompson explained that the force was facing budget cuts of between 25% and 40%.
He said: "This is just part of a process, and I can appreciate that some people will be extremely surprised to have receivedthis notification today.
"It doesn't meant everyone who has received one is going to be made redundant, but there is a process of legislation in our countrythat has to be followed and we are invoking the first stage of it."
'Devastating blow'Assistant chief officer at the force Gary Ridley said: "Despite undertaking a range of actions to save money, it is clear thatcompulsory redundancies need to be considered in light of likely futurereductions in the amount of government grants the constabulary receives.
"We are working closely with the police authority and trade unions to try and minimise the impact on our staff, whilst maintaining aservice to the people of County Durham and Darlington."
Unison branch secretary Arthur Dickinson said: "This is a devastating blow to our members.
"We have never had any compulsory redundancies in the force and we have been working very hard to make savings to avoid any in thefuture.
"There is a lot of fear and uncertainty over numbers, but the 90-day consultation suggests that the force are looking to axe morethan 100 jobs.
"Any redundancies will have a major impact on the quality of policing in Durham.
"We are holding meetings with members to discuss the notices and with management next week."
