ALMOST a dozen traffic officer posts are believed to be under threat at Cleveland Police.

A briefing was held this morning (Monday, January 12) to discuss the future of the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit - a collaboration between both forces which includes firearms officers, road policing, collision investigation and intelligence, among other divisions.

Speculation on social media suggested there was a plan to cut up to 11 officers from Cleveland Police's road policing unit, although the Force said it could not give any details until it has completed staff briefings.

Superintendent Mark Thornton, Head of the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit (CDSOU) said: “An initial briefing was held this morning (Monday) with officers, staff and representatives from the Police Federation to discuss how the CDSOU will look in the future, however as not all staff have been briefed, we feel it would be inappropriate to discuss details at this stage.

"The movement of police officers is common within the policing environment as it allows Forces to deploy resources based upon levels of demand. We would like to remind people that police officers cannot be made redundant.

"Criminals do not see borders, so collaboration allows for both Forces to combine the specialist resources available to work efficiently and effectively to protect the public across Cleveland and Durham.

“Under the banner of CDSOU, collaborative work will continue throughout 2015, giving rise to further areas of joint working in the specialist world. Any decisions in relation to collaboration are based on the science behind levels of demand, the needs of both Forces and communities, and the fact we must work smarter in a changing policing world."

Paul Brown, chair of Cleveland Police Federation, which represents police officers in the workplace, said: "We have been involved in the process of consultation relating to this and the collaboration of the specialist operations unit. At this stage the process of consultation is still continuing and Cleveland Police Federation is continuing to make representations on behalf of their members."