Mr McNulty spoke to members of Wales' police authorities

Police Minister Tony McNulty was told of the cuts when members of Welsh police authorities met in St Asaph.

North Wales Police Authority said there would be more budget cuts next year unless extra funding was found.

Mr McNulty said he has had "a very productive and frank discussion" with the force and its police authority.

The minister was in north Wales with Welsh Secretary Peter Hain to open the force's new police control centre in St Asaph.

After the meeting with the police authority members, the north Wales authority issued a statement saying it had already imposed cuts of £2m this year.

Treasurer Nigel Thomas said cuts of £3m-£5m would have to be made next year.

Wrangling

He added that the force required an additional £3.4m to strengthen measures to combat serious and organised crime and terrorism.

The north Wales authority was one of the most vocal opponents of the Home Office's proposals to restructure the police service in England and Wales.

The proposals - with an option for all four Welsh forces to merge into one - cost the Welsh forces more than £1m before they were axed because of wrangling over funding.

The plan for Wales' four police forces to merge was criticised

The Home Office is currently looking at bids from a number of forces for reimbursement of their costs but has said it would not "sign blank cheques".

Mr Thomas said the cuts had to be taken from resources for neighbourhood policing as the funding for other areas of the force's operations was protected.

He said: "Our funding settlements have not reflected real inflation for a number of years now and this has had a very serious effect.

"In the last four years we have moved from being an authority that was adequately funded provided we used the money very carefully to a situation where we are going to be fundamentally under-funded.

Police authority chair Councillor Ian Roberts said: "The cuts are beginning to bite deeply already with 75 fewer police officers on the front line in north Wales.

'Futurologist'

"That inevitably means that neighbourhood policing is suffering and a direct result of that is that we are unable to give communities the level of protection they need and deserve."

Mr McNulty said all four Welsh forces had submitted bids for reimbursement over the costs of the merger plans, and he was currently considering them.

He said: "Let's see what this year's [budget] settlement is and what subsequent settlements are. I'm not a futurologist, and nor is the chair of the police authority."

North Wales Police would not be drawn on Councillor Roberts' claims.

In a statement, chief constable Richard Brunstrom said: "I am delighted that Peter Hain and Tony McNulty accepted my invitation to come and spend a whole day with us here in north Wales, culminating in the opening of Crud-y-Dderwen, our state of the art communication centre.

"During the day we have also had a series of very constructive discussions about the future of policing in north Wales."