DEVON and Cornwall Police do not to have enough riot-trained officers to meet "local outbreaks of disorder", according to a new study.
The force is one of five that were found not to have enough trained officers, following a study by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) which analysed how prepared police forces in England and Wales were to deal with threats to public order.
Inspectors found the 43 forces boasted 769 police support units (PSUs) – more than double the 297 target under the national requirement.
And while some forces were found to have five times the number of public ordered trained officers they were deemed to need, Devon and Cornwall did not have enough. Avon and Somerset were also undermanned along with Sussex, Leicestershire and Lancashire.
"For each force, HMIC compared the number of PSUs they declared they had with the number of PSUs that they told us they needed to respond to local outbreaks of disorder," the report said.
"We found that in five forces, while they complied with the national requirement, they did not have enough PSUs to meet their assessments of the local threat."
Despite being under strength, Avon and Somerset donated 50 more units to other forces under "mutual aid" during 2011-13 than it received, while Devon and Cornwall was also marginally in the black.
A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: "It is true that in the financial year 2012-2013, due to officers retiring, we had a lower number of PSU officers than was ideal.
"We took immediate steps to rectify this and now maintain a healthy balance between preparedness and financial necessity. We welcome the scrutiny by HMIC, but today we meet all PSU requirements."
The report was published just days after Devon and Cornwall Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg called for the "mutual aid" system to be reviewed.
Mr Hogg intervened with the force facing a fourth year of having to provide officers to other forces. He called it "a continual drain on resources to support national policing".
"There needs to be a much greater recognition of the unique position of Devon and Cornwall in terms of the summer economy," Mr Hogg said.
"I have no issue with us playing a part in providing officers to help protect public order and safety in unforeseen or emergency situations, such as the riots of 2011.
"However other, planned, events have consequences and the people who organise them should think differently about how they are supported."
