FRONTLINE policing could be affected because of the amount of money being spent on foreign-language interpreters.

In the past 12 months, police forces in England and Wales have spent £25 million on translators - £4 million more than last year.

The spiralling costs have led to Gloucestershire chief constable Tim Brain speaking out, warning that police staffing levels will begin to suffer in the next three or four years if the amount spent on interpreters continues to rise.

West Mercia Constabulary alone spent £238,666 on translators last financial year which could have been spent on frontline services - although this was £40,000 less when compared with figures from 2005/2006.

A West Mercia police spokeswoman said: "With more countries joining the EU and more people travelling to different countries to live and work the force will continue to need interpreters.

"The languages we require interpreters to speak vary across the force area but the most common languages at the moment are Polish, Russian and Romanian.

"The force does make a number of requests on a daily basis for interpreters, which is a reflection of the diverse communities that we have across Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire."

West Mercia Constabulary, which is a member of the national register of public service interpreters, has a legal requirement to use trained translators for victims of crime, witnesses, and especially during the questioning of suspects who do not speak English so that no evidence or information could be lost or misconstrued.

However, Dr Brain said the increase in demand for such services combined with the fact Government spending plans see police budgets being held at or below the level of general inflation means jobs will have to go.

"At the moment forces can use their contingency reserves, but these cannot can be used for ever," he said. "Once they're spent out there will have to be cutbacks and, in a service where more than 80 per cent of our costs are on staff, that inevitably will mean fewer police officers or staff."