CALSTOCK Parish Council is to write to the chief constable of the Devon and Cornwall police stressing the importance of the role of the neighbourhood beat manager, as the force battles to make savings of £47-million over the next four years.

Members of the parish council were told this week there was a possibility the community could lose its NBM, but no decisions had been made yet.

In December it was announced that Callington was one of the 34 police stations to be shut to the public as part of the cuts which will also see the force reduced by 700 police officers and 375 support staff.

Callington currently has a neighbourhood team leader, two NBMs, one responsible for Callington and one for Gunnislake and Calstock and two police community support officers (PCSOs).

Calstock parish council chairman Cllr Dick Hoile said: 'I suggest we write to the chief constable pointing out the fact that if we lose this valuable asset it will be detrimental to intelligence and policing in the community as a whole.

'I fear it is the rural areas where the officers will be lost.

'We are losing Callington as a public station and we don't want to lose the station entirely.'

A spokesman for the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary said: 'No decisions have been made.

'The force is committed to neighbourhood policing both in respect of the police officers and the PCSOs, who complement each other's roles.

'They provide a better service to our communities as a result and we wish that to continue.'