THE crime and police commissioner for Essex has said he will not allow artificial inteligence (AI) and robotics to be used as an excuse to cut backroom staff over the next two and a half years of his tenure, as the force faces having to make 100 redundancies in the coming financial year.

The government has been keen to ramp up the use of AI as both an efficiency and cost-saving measure.

Questioned on whether the use of automated systems could be used for potential cost cutting, Essex police fire and crime commissioner Roger Hirst said: "That will not be happening while I'm in place."

His pledge comes amid a consultation on 100 staff members facing redundancy as the force struggles to bridge a funding obligation for more neighbourhood police officers. It means even after an agreed increase in the council tax precept for policing in Essex of £14.94 a year for a Band D property, the force still needs to make savings elsewhere.

He added that AI and robotics can be a useful way to improve effectiveness and efficiency, but if it's getting things wrong, "we won't be using it". He added that he will not allow automated systems as an excuse for further pressure on staff cuts.

He said: "Over the next two and a half years I am responsible for Essex Police and that will be not happening while I'm in place. Whether there is subsequently a direct level of control from the Home Office, which will change the way things are operated once they have passed a new law, I can't speak for, but while I'm in place, that's not what we're doing."

He added: "I share the government's ambition in getting crime down, particularly where it focuses on drug and knife crime and violence against women and girls. Having that focus is not about reducing the amount of spending on policing, it is about bolstering policing so we can get crime down.

"If we can prove police efficiency and effectiveness by using technologies such as robotic sand AI so police officers can do more and get crime down further and faster, that's a good thing. This is not about reducing the size of the police.

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"What I'd really like to be doing is going the affordable future's program and then keeping the people to do more. Unfortunately, the way the government has done the maths means that they have not fully funded the expansion they want to see, and that means cuts elsewhere.