"WE need to be as creative as possible in saving money and seek more collaboration."
That is one of the aims of the new Chief Constable of Humberside Police, Justine Curran as she embarked on her new role in charge of the force.
It has to find around further £30 million in savings before 2018.
The new top officer said it will be her mission to ensure the budget is balanced and protect communities.
One of the savings will come when the force helicopter – codenamed Oscar 99 – becomes part of the National Police Aviation Service.
Ms Curran said "advanced negotiations" were taking place with the service to share the helicopter with other forces, including Northumberland and West Yorkshire.
Ms Curran said Humberside would continue to be served by the helicopter as an example of the closer co-operation between police forces.
Having left Tayside Police because it was merged with seven other forces to create one large constabulary for Scotland, she said: "It is something we are committed to and we are exploring several ways for more collaboration."
She said firearms training was another example of shared services.
Humberside already has arrangements with South Yorkshire Police to provide shared human resources services and IT.
Ms Curran is also looking at replacing mounted horses kept by Humberside Police with privately- owned ones – and hopes the force will interact with the public more via social media.
Ms Curran said: "We are also looking at sharing with local authorities, so the mergers are not police specific.
"We will save as much money as we can.
"We can do that and keep the local front service."
Negotiations are still ongoing in central Government as to how much of the anticipated £20 million the force will have to save.
She added: "It is a big chunk of our resources, therefore we need to be as creative as possible.
"Inevitably we will shrink, but have to deliver the same service that we have done in the past.
"They are all difficult decisions to make."
The Sheffield-born officer is looking forward to revisiting Cleethorpes seafront which she visited with her grandparents in the late Seventies.
She has already visited the police station in the resort and at Grimsby where she was impressed with staff morale.
Ms Curran said her role in reducing crime and protecting communities along with new police and crime commissioner Matthew Grove had "worked well".
She said: "Our ambitions are broadly the same and we are going in the same direction.
"It is a partnership and it is challenging. We are still working out the detail of the partnership and we will both do our best to serve the people."
