THOUSANDS of police officers are in town for their annual conference at the Bournemouth International Centre.

Members of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers up to the rank of Chief Inspector, will spend three days in debate and listening to keynote speakers.

Home Secretary Theresa May will address the conference tomorrow and is widely expected to receive a hostile reception from officers concerned about cuts.

The theme of the conference is "The Policing Challenge: Cuts Have Consequences" and issues as diverse as mental health, cybercrime and counter-terrorism are on the agenda.

Federation Chairman Steve White said members will be sending a strong message to government.

"This is the first major public event of the new administration and a unique opportunity for us to set out our stall, to let them know that the service cannot sustain any further cuts in budget or officer numbers without a significant impact on service delivery."

The conference begins this morning and runs until Thursday.