STRATHCLYDE Police aims to boost its ranks to a record level, with officer numbers up by as much as 750 over the next three years.

Scotland's biggest force wants to have up to 8200 officers by 2011 - up from the current 7450 - as part of force chief Steve House's focus on community policing.

But senior Strathclyde officials today admitted the proposed increase would be a tough task - as it comes against a backdrop of unprecedented levels of retiring officers. Where will all the new officers come from? THERE ARE about 7450 officers in Strathclyde at the moment - up from 7200 in 2007.

Initiatives will create 1000 officers over three years (250 are in place).

Retirement of 900 officers over three years will be matched by standard annual recruitment which brings in 900 in the same period.

Net gain will be 1000 officers by 2011, taking the total to 8000-8200.

The initiatives include: SCRAPPING SUPERINTENDENT POSTS - 40 officers (estimate) Strathclyde has 25-30 more such posts than similar-sized Greater Manchester.

Force chiefs want two to three constables for the wage of a superintendent.

Many superintendents are to retire in the next few years and will be replaced by beat officers.

If 20 retire over three years, as expected, that means 60 constables for the same money - a gain of 40 officers. CASH FROM COUNCILS - 150-175 officers The Scottish Government's Fairer Scotland Fund goes to council-controlled Community Planning Partnerships. Strathclyde Police has appealed to the CPPs for this to pay for community officers.

Several councils s have already agreed, police say. Last week, results of a city-wide survey by Glasgow CPP - which has £50m to spend in the next year - indicated public support for the move, as residents called for more police on streets. 'EFFICIENCY SAVINGS' AND INTEREST - 250 officers So-called "efficiency savings" should generate around £60m over the next three years.

Some savings, coupled with interest on cash held in accounts, have already been spent on upping the "baseline" number of officers from 7200 to 7450. Air travel and cleaning services would also be cut. ENDING THE CADET SCHEME - 100 officers (est) The force's cadet scheme was wound down last month.

Instead, the money will be spent on newly trained front-line officers, rather than the backroom and counter duties carried out by cadets.

A force spokesman said: "Our focus is on operational policing and increasing the number of frontline officers. We have decided to discontinue the scheme at this time. All cadets currently on the scheme will progress as normal." SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT BOOST - 465 officers The SNP vowed to recruit an extra 1000 police in its last manifesto.

Strathclyde should get 465 officers over three years - with 200-300 expected in the next year.

A staggering 900 police will retire over the next three years, so the force will need to recruit its usual 300-plus officers a year - and another 1000 on top - if it is to achieve its aim.Around 250 are already in place.

Today the Evening Times reveals how cost-cutting and cash-generating initiatives will make the 8000 minimum target possible, and numbers could reach 8200.

They include taking advantage of new officers paid for by the Scottish Government under the SNP's election pledge to recruit 1000 extra police in Scotland.

And within Strathclyde, there are plans to: Cull the number of high-ranking superintendent posts as officers retire and replace them with beat officers Negotiate extra cash for community police officers from west Scotland's 11 councils and their government-funded Community Planning Partnerships Free up money internally by looking for slack in the budget and using interest on cash in bank accounts Another move, which has already taken place, is to scrap the force's police cadet scheme and spend the money on officers who can be deployed on the beat straight away.

Insiders say this move would have been seen as "unpalatable" under the last chief constable, Sir Willie Rae, who started his career as a police cadet.

Mr House, who got his job after promising a radical shake-up, says that even after an increase to 8000, he would still want more officers.

He wants Strathclyde to have as many officers as the similar metropolitan forces of Greater Manchester and West Midlands, which have almost 9000 police.

Mr House and Glasgow councillor Paul Rooney, chairman of the police's governing board, said the initiatives were already under way, and officer numbers were up from 7200 last year.

Mr Rooney said: "This is the biggest opportunity in a generation for policing our communities and it would mean the highest number of police officers ever in Strathclyde.

"What's more, the Chief Constable and the police board are clear these new officers are not going to be sat behind desks or in patrol cars.

"They are going to be in communities, policing the streets, on foot. Several hundred should be in place over the next year.

"When we do reach the 8000 level, more of the police's time - both existing and new officers - will be spent on frontline duties."

Mr House said his shake-up was aimed at getting more police on the beat and tackling problems in communities.

Already the former Met chief has told desk-bound superintendents they must do eight shifts a year on the streets.

And as reported last week, he has set up a new hardline Gangs Task Force of specialist officers to arrest the most troublesome youths.

In a report to be presented to Strathclyde Joint Police Board tomorrow, Mr House says: "These initiatives will significantly impact on the size and structure of Strathclyde Police over the next three years.

"The changes will result in an increase in the number of police officers from the recognised figure of 7200 in 2006/07 to approximately 8000 in 2010/11, with a considerable increase in the proportion of constables involved in frontline duties.

"While this increase is welcome, it will not place Strathclyde Police on parity with comparative forces, such as West Midlands Police and Greater Manchester Police, who number 8500 to 9000 police officers."

Officer retirements at Strathclyde are expected to peak in 2009/10, when 437 are due to retire after 30 years' service following a huge intake in 1979.

A further 271 will leave this financial year, and 190 in 2011.

Mr Rooney said the backlog of accepted recruits stuck in a waiting list for training - because the force had no cash to take them on - was now all but wiped out, having stood at around 200 last summer, as the impact of the efficiency savings and spending of interest on cash kicks in.

He said: "The number of graduates coming out of Jackton (Strathclyde's police training college) is usually about 20 in each session. This month, we'll see 90 officers graduating."