THE resignation of six bosses at Gloucestershire Constabulary in recent months has sparked further concerns over poor morale at the police force.

Morale was low before plans to cut jobs were announced and the recent turmoil at the top of Gloucestershire Constabulary, a staff survey which was published last month showed.

The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire survey conducted in June last year showed overall morale of the 495 people who took part was four out of ten. In some departments that was as low as three.

A Gloucestershire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We’re committed to creating a positive working environment for all those we employ or who generously give up their time to volunteer for us.

“Like every organisation, employees may decide to leave their role to find alternative employment. This can be for a variety of reasons such as career progression or a change in personal circumstances.

“We always welcome feedback from those who choose to move on, as well as those we continue to employ, and will listen carefully to any issues raised and act on them if necessary.”

It has since been announced that 60 police staff roles will be axed in a bid to plug the £12.3m funding gap the force faces – these redundancies include between 30 and 40 police community support officers.

Insiders also spoke out about morale being at “rock bottom” after the suspension of chief constable Rod Hansen in October last year - as reported by The Forester.

And now, a police source believes the recent resignation of several heads of department is because “everyone has had enough of the morale and the way the force is run”.

They say it was “a difficult pill to swallow” to speak out but feel they public ought to know what is happening at the constabulary.

“The public need to know the morale is pretty poor at the constabulary at the moment,” they said. “They left over the last six months. The head of learning and development left two months ago as well as the deputy.

“The head of estates and support services has resigned. The head of the public feedback team has left. The head of transport services left last Friday (March 28) and the head of legal left two months ago as well. They have all resigned.

“None of them have been made redundant. It’s quite bad. I think everyone has had enough of the morale and the way the force is run. It’s not Chris Nelson’s fault.

“It’s the chief officer group. It’s certainly not the police and crime commissioner’s fault but he gets the blame for it.”

The force says it is committed to creating a positive environment for staff. It says employees may decide to leave a role for a variety of reasons including career progression or a change in personal circumstances.

The news comes following a recent spate of burglaries and car thefts in the Forest of Dean which sparked concerns about policing in the area.