"We all have to economise and save money."

That's the reaction from Kent Police after they announced nearly 200 police recruits signed up to join the force have now had their places cancelled.

Some of them have been waiting for nearly two years.

The news comes a month after the Kent force was told it would have to make cuts of nearly £20m in the next three years. This has involved a review of all areas of the business, including recruitment.

Chairman of the Kent Police Federation, Ian Pointon, said: "I'm sure this is very disappointing for the individuals concerned.

"They will have been looking forward to starting a career within Kent Police as a police officer.

"In fairness, Kent Police has been required to make budget savings and the easiest way to do that is to slow down the recruitment tap."

Audio: Ian Pointon, chairman of the Kent Police Federation on the cuts

Mr Pointon said he hoped the recruits could see the reasons why the force has let them down. He added: "This is not done to mess them around.

"I hope they can see that Kent Police are stuck between a rock and a hard place and hopefully they will be able to join when things look better in the future."

Assistant Chief Constable Allyn Thomas added his support to Mr Pointon's comments.

He said: "My sympathy is with the people who we have let down.

"They haven't done anything wrong.

"I'm sure some of them have made personal sacrifices in order to be available to join.

"It's no one's fault, it's the position we all find ourselves in. We all have to economise in this current climate."

Last year 127 recruits joined Kent Police as police officers and since April 1 this year 41 recruits have joined the force.