The chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police has said the force cannot afford to cover all risks effectively as it is faced with an extra £25 million in cuts.

In a statement released as the force is is told to make significant savings over the next four years, Chief Constable Shaun Sawyer said the organisation was facing "times of unprecedented financial pressure," and it was essential in the face of deeper cuts to focus resources on "the areas of highest risk, threat and harm."

Meanwhile, he suggested that people would be left to deal with lower risk areas by themselves.

He said: "To be able to do this we need to put our most appropriately skilled assets at the front end of our service. Officers with sworn powers will be dedicated to those roles which require those powers.

"Low risk, low threat and low harm issues will receive increasingly less focus from our partners and the force. Communities will be encouraged to get more involved in these areas as ultimately they will not be managed by the force.

"We cannot pretend that we can afford to do both effectively."

Devon and Cornwall Police considers higher risk areas to include victim crime such as online grooming, child and sexual abuse, domestic abuse and modern slavery. Lower risk areas include acquisitive crime and property crime such as vehicle damage, criminal damage and theft, which have seen reductions over the past few years.

The chief constable said the force faced "seismic changes in the world; changing societies and a global movement of people," as well as challenges brought about by the "digital age" and "policing is struggling to keep up."

He said: "We police by consent; it gives our organisation and our actions legitimacy. Our mission states that we 'detect and prevent harm, protect the vulnerable and reduce crime' and it must be at the heart of everything we do. Access to vulnerable victims has never been greater for criminals and if we and our statutory partners do not focus on prevention we simply will not be able to keep up."

Devon and Cornwall Police has to make savings of up to £54 million, having previously been aiming at a £29 million target, with £19.2 million already identified through initiatives such as an alliance with Dorset Police, and the force has said there will be large reductions of staff and officers.

Chief Constable Sawyer said: "Any decisions made will be very difficult and I realise they will have consequences for many of my staff as for the service we provide to the public. However the mission is the main driver for change; the cuts to our budget are determining the resources we have in order to be able to achieve that change."

He said budget decisions will be evidence based, and there may be even harder choices to come, with a clearer picture by December, while the Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg campaigns for fairer funding and a possible referendum on the police asking the public for more money through council tax.

He added: "We will still be here as a sustainable police service – albeit looking very different – after these changes and we will continue to have a presence in our communities keeping them safe."