Civilian staff working for a police force face compulsory redundancy, a senior officer has said.
Durham Police has warned its 1,160 staff that they could lose their jobs at the end of a 90-day consultation period, and the number of redundancies depends on the outcome of a Government spending review in October.
No officers will lose their jobs, but their ability to their job will be undermined, according to the public sector union Unison.
Durham Police Authority said its financial situation was "critical" and expected to get worse.
Assistant Chief Officer Gary Ridley said: "Despite undertaking a range of actions to save money, such as freezing recruitment, offering early retirement, voluntary redundancy and centralising functions within its HQ site at Aykley Heads, it is clear that compulsory redundancies need to be considered in light of likely future reductions in the amount of government grant the constabulary receives.
"We are working closely with the Police Authority and trade unions to try and minimise the impact on our staff whilst maintaining a service to the people of County Durham and Darlington. Durham is a high-performing force and we are determined for it to remain so."
Unison believes more than 100 jobs will be lost. Branch secretary Arthur Dickinson said: "This is a devastating blow to our members. We have never had any compulsory redundancies in the force and we have been working very hard to make savings to avoid any in the future.
"There is a lot of fear and uncertainty over numbers, but the 90-day consultation suggests that the force are looking to axe more than 100 jobs."
Peter Thompson, chairman of Durham Police Authority, said: "Every member of the authority was devastated that they found themselves in a situation where they had to approve this action. The reality is that we are in a critical financial situation which we anticipate will only get worse in October when the Government is expected to announce further substantial cuts as part of its Comprehensive Spending Review.
"We also expect further cuts beyond that date."
