The jobs of as many as 300 more police officers may be on the line if the government pushes ahead with more cuts to public sector funding, Kent’s crime commissioner has warned.

Ann Barnes warned there would be far fewer officers on the beat should the coalition force more cuts on the force.

Her warning came as Kent chief constable Ian Learmonth said a 10% reduction in the police budget would equate to a further 400 jobs lost.

Kent Police has has already shed about 1,500 posts with 457 of those being police officers.

The coalition is preparing to announce the outcome of its latest public sector spending review at the end of the month.

Mrs Barnes said a further round of cuts would be devastating

“I have heard that there may be an 8% cut [in the budget]. To be honest, that would be absolutely devastating. An 8% reduction would mean 300 fewer officers on the streets.”

Asked if that would mean Kent could not operate a viable and effective force, she said: “There may come a tipping point. The police will always respond to 999 calls and serious crime but it will be visible community policing that will take its toll."

'The police will always respond to 999 calls and serious crime but it will be visible community policing that will take its toll'

The opportunities to pare back spending were increasingly limited. “We are always looking to stretch the elastic but a thin blue line is a thin blue line and I do not want it crossed,” she said.

The government has already declared that spending on schools and the NHS and international aid will be safeguarded as part of the review.