Lincolnshire Police will be forced to make millions of pounds of budget cuts by 2014, senior officers have revealed.

Lincolnshire Police believe they could be forced to cut their budget by about £12m – £4m each year between 2011 and 2014.

The Government's failure to make clear future spending plans before the general election means the figure could actually be far higher.

And if it is, police say they could be forced to cut staff numbers – meaning their could be fewer policemen on the streets.

The announcement came as the force decided to increase its slice of the council tax by three per cent – meaning the average taxpayer will have to pay about £179 to fund the force in the next financial year.

The new budget will also see an extra 22 officers join the county police.

Chief constable Richard Crompton said: "My ambition is to do everything I can to maintain numbers and services and get through this difficult period.

"But ultimately, if the reduction is more than we anticipate, there is only one place where savings can be found and that is people.

For more on the cutbacks, see Wednesday's Echo.