Constable Len Norman was asked about the 42.9 vacant posts in the uniformed services in a written States question from Deputy Rob Ward.
The St Helier Deputy asked whether these vacancies would be filled or left vacant to try to achieve the £30 million of savings the Chief Minister has pledged to find in States spending.
However, the minister said this was yet to be determined as Home Affairs is still developing a ‘target operating model’ for these services.
‘This work is ongoing and involves representatives from all of the services which currently form part of the department,’ he said.
‘Accordingly, and until this work is complete, it is not possible to state how many of the posts that were identified as vacancies might be impacted.’
Mr Norman also said he could not confirm that all 42.9 posts were still vacant.
But he said the vacant posts are not yet being counted toward the savings the Chief Minister promised last month.
‘It is possible to confirm that no posts have yet been lost as part of a contribution to the £30 million of savings identified in the Chief Minister’s speech of 10 October to the Chamber of Commerce,’ he said in his written reply.
As to the operational effects the loss of these jobs would have on the uniformed services, the minister said: ‘It is not possible at the present to fully respond, as the new target operating model is under development.’
However, he said the principles behind the model were aimed at ‘achieving a modern, effective and efficient criminal justice system and to maintain, and where possible enhance, the effectiveness of the response provided by Jersey’s emergency services’.
Last month, the JEP revealed that police numbers have fallen to the lowest level in at least ten years, with just 190 officers as of the end of September – down from 245 in 2008.
And the union for Jersey firefighters has warned that if a current numbers crisis in that service is allowed to continue, the ability to respond to incidents safely will be compromised.
The Fire and Rescue Service numbers have plummeted 20 per cent since 2003 and all shifts are now operating at least one firefighter short, with on-call and part-time officers being used daily, and overtime costs mounting.
Both services are said to be suffering from low morale surrounding operational uncertainty, leadership changes and the departures of many valuable officers.
