POLICE FORCES in England and Wales are to shed 34,000 jobs, including 16,000 uniformed posts, over the next four years to cope with “the biggest financial challenge in a generation” – cutting away all of the gains made over the last decade.
In a report, the UK’s inspectorate of constabulary warned that the bulk of the cuts required by the government’s demand for a 20 per cent fall in spending would have to be made over the next three years.
In addition to the 16,000 uniformed officers, 16,000 backroom staff and 1,800 community support officers will have to made redundant, though the inspectorate doubted home secretary Theresa May’s declaration that frontline policing numbers could be safeguarded.
Defending the need for cuts, Liberal Democrat deputy prime minister Nick Clegg said savings were possible: “There are far, far too many police officers who are filling in forms or tied down to their desks when they are not out in the community where they belong,” he declared.
The Metropolitan Police, reeling from the resignations of commissioner Paul Stephenson and anti-terrorism branch chief assistant commissioner John Yates, will lose just under 2,000 officers, nearly 400 civilian administrators and up to 1,000 community police.
In the West Midlands Constabulary, which invited officers who had been forced to retire earlier this year to come to work for free as special constables, nearly 2,500 jobs will be shed, including 1,000 officers. Labour Party leader Ed Miliband said he was “shocked” by the figures.
“I think that really raises big issues for our society and big issues about how we ensure that we give people that confidence because crime fell by 43 per cent since 1997.”
Saying frontline police numbers would fall by 2 per cent this year, chief constable Roger Baker of the inspectorate of constabulary said the challenges would get tougher.
The figures were produced following a detailed examination of the effect of last year’s comprehensive spending review from chancellor George Osborne on police forces in England and Wales. Home Office figures show that numbers now stand at 139,000 – down over 4,600 on a year before.
Paul McKeever, chairman of the police federation of England and Wales, said the inspectorate’s findings confirmed the federation’s worst fears and would “turn the clock back at least a decade”.
“The knock-on effect will be police forces struggling to keep their heads above water as they try to deal with increasing demands and diminishing resources. This will fundamentally change the way we police our communities.”
Last year, he said, the inspectorate of constabulary had made it clear English and Welsh forces could take no more than a 12 per cent cut without significantly cutting service.
Meanwhile, Labour MP Yvette Cooper said forces that had taken the lead in cutting bureaucracy and waste were now being hit hardest because they were being forced to cut front-line numbers to stay within budget.
