Hertfordshire Police Authority says it will need to make savings of £9million over the next year.

The police authority launched its Strategic Plan for 2012 to 2015 on Tuesday and revealed £38.5m of savings will have to be made by the end of the next three years.

However, the authority also announced the number of posts dedicated to neighbourhood policing will be maintained for another year.

There are also plans to improve the force’s local service, which will include more face-to-face contact with communities through victim support and Safer Neighbourhood Teams.

The meeting also revealed that overall crime throughout the county has fallen by 6 per cent for the same period last year.

Stuart Nagler, vice chair of the Police Authority said: “I have every confidence the Chief Constable and his team will rise to the challenge and achieve the required savings while continuing to keep Hertfordshire safe and free from harm.”