Sweeping cuts means there will be nearly 400 fewer bobbies on the beat in Essex over the next three years.

The figures had already been hinted at, but were yesterday confirmed by Essex Police’s Chief Constable Jim Barker-McCardle at a meeting of the force’s police authority.

Mr Barker-McCardle outlined his policing blueprint behind closed doors at a meeting of the authority.

But a copy of his presentation, seen by the Echo, reveals in order to make £45million of savings by 2014, the force will shed 388 officers, a cut of nearly 12 per cent.

It is thought the cuts to frontline officers will be made by not replacing people who leave or transfer to other forces, but it could well mean Essex Police forces officers with 30 years’ experience to retire.

Essex currently has 3,636 officers, not including police community support officers, but that figure will drop to 3,248 by 2014.

Retired Chief Supt Mick Thwaites, Southend’s former district commander, said the drop in officer numbers would clearly impact on how crime is dealt with.

He said: “I can’t criticise the Chief Constable for getting a grip of the budget.

“He has got to deal with this and that’s what he has done.

“But you can’t take 400 officers out of the equation somewhere along the line the continuum of dealing with serious crime and dealing with quality of life issues that affect people, that is going to have an impact.”

The cuts will see the number of police constables - the lowest ranking officers who make up the majority of the force - fall from 2,863 officers to 2,500, a loss of 363 Pcs.

Despite the cuts, some senior ranks will see a boost in numbers.

The post of chief inspector will rise from the current 40 officers to 45, while the number of inspectors will increase by 12, from 145 to 157 by 2014.

A spokeswoman for Essex Police said: “Although the overall number of officers will fall, we are actually increasing our Neighbourhood Policing presence. The number of officers in local areas is increasing by 12 per cent (from 472 to 527), meaning your local neighbourhood policing team will have even more time to patrol your streets, attend your community meetings and solve your issues.”

The news flies in the face of what home secretary Theresa May said on a visit to Essex in November last year.

The Tory minister insisted Essex Police could make crucial savings without cutting officer numbers and instead slashing “back room” staff such as civilian workers.