Thousands of Police to Lose Jobs as Forces Feel The Pinch
Chief constables fear crimewave as recession bites
Large numbers of police forces are planning to cut thousands of officers despite the threat of a recession-driven surge in crime and disorder.
Representatives from dozens of police forces contacted by The Times last night gave a grim picture of falling numbers and “significant and painful” cuts.
One of Britain’s most experienced chief constables said that forces were being dangerously weakened at a time when a strong police force could be essential to “hold the line”. Timothy Brain, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire since 2001, said: “There is a risk of increased crime and disorder as a result of the effect of recession and many police forces will be made weaker as a result of the latest grant and council tax settlements.”
Dorset said it would be cutting 50 officers while neighbouring Hampshire will lose more than 100.
Humberside Police has a five-year plan to replace 300 police officers with civilian staff and in Durham numbers have dropped by 120 in the past three years with further cuts expected.
Some 80 officer positions are expected to go in Gwent, North Yorkshire has dropped by 120 in the past two years and South Yorkshire Police cut 82 officers last year. Surrey is bracing itself for “significant and painful cuts” with the loss of 144 officers and staff.
Dr Brain, who must cut 60 officers in the next year, gave a stark warning that the police could be thrust into the front line, maintaining public order in the face of riots and violent strikes.
He said: “The full effect of a recession can take a long time to be felt in crime and disorder terms. Unemployment peaked in 1985 but there was no downturn in crime figures until the mid1990s. In the meantime we experienced severe social shock and it was the Police Service that held the line.”
The disclosure of the cuts is likely to provoke a fierce political row over law and order, one of the most sensitive electoral issues. It will also alarm ministers who are aware of the potential political damage to Labour of heading towards a general election with police numbers in decline.
Ministers insist that the police have been given enough cash to keep strength at record levels and that any cuts in officer numbers would lead to questions about how individual forces were managing budgets and staff. Last year a Home Office memo predicted a rise in theft and burglary offences, racist attacks and terrorism. Yesterday a senior Scotland Yard officer warned of hardcore activists “intent on coming on to the streets to create public disorder”.
Whitehall statistics show a 0.6 per cent increase in officer numbers across England and Wales in 2008 but those figures mask the fact that 19 out of 43 forces cut officers and that the 2009-10 budget settlement will mean further cuts. The pace of the cuts has accelerated, with 21 forces reducing off-ficer numbers in the six months between March and September 2008.
Barbara Wilding, Chief Constable of South Wales, said she was facing a £14 million deficit and might have to stop policing major events in Cardiff. She said: “We are looking at the worst case scenario and a huge funding deficit . . . if we don’t get the money, we can’t police it.”
News of the cuts provoked Opposition anger. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: “Jacqui Smith warned that crime could rise during a recession. If the Home Office is not careful, it will find itself sleepwalking into a crimewave.”
Chris Grayling, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: “This has to be the final nail in the coffin of Tony Blair’s promise that Labour would be tough on crime. We already have many violent crimes rocketing and crimes like burglaries on the rise again.”
Paul McKeever, Police Federation chairman, said: “We are at the start of what could be a prolonged economic depression where crime is likely to increase. This is of extreme concern as there is already a frontline stretch, where officers are under pressure to manage the current demands within the communities they serve.
“To reduce officer numbers is ludicrous and prioritises the pursuit of unrealistic targets over public safety.”
Dr Brain, who is national police spokesman on finance, said the formula by which forces had been funded for 15 years was leading to a “two-tier police service”. Forces with dense and diverse populations did well but those with more sprawling populations fared badly and were falling behind.
In the latest police funding round, 32 of the English and Welsh forces received less than the average grant increase of 2.8 per cent. Figures show that 20 forces will get an increase of just 2.5 per cent but will have to meet a 2.6 per cent pay award. If they try to make up the shortfall by raising council tax they could be capped.
The Home Office said that government funding for the police had risen by 60 per cent since 1997 and that officer numbers were at record levels. There are 140,000 sworn officers in England and Wales, an increase of more than 14,000 since 1997.
Jacqui Smith, the Home Secretary, said: “There is no reason why police strengths should reduce given the funding for the police under the three-year grant settlement for the years 2008-09 to 2010-11, which we announced in December 2007.”
Where the cuts are being made: ‘officers are encouraged to buy supermarket petrol to save money’
Durham
In March 2007, when Tony Blair was Prime Minister and MP for Sedgefield, Durham Constabulary had 1,705 police officers. Today it has 1,589 and there are plans to reduce that number over the next two years.
The force lost money when it no longer had to protect Mr Blair but its steady loss of officers is also due to the Home Office funding formula, which many feel penalises constabularies in rural areas. Part of Durham’s loss of sworn officers is also due to “workforce modernisation”, which involves civilians replacing police in some backroom posts.
Andy Metcalfe, chairman of the local Police Federation branch, said: “We have to make savings, but we don’t want policing on the cheap.
“Some back-office functions can be done by civilians but we need to ensure that police officers are not just used as a battering ram when there are problems on a Friday and Saturday night. Policing is about more than that.”
Dorset
One of the country’s smallest forces, Dorset lost 13 officers last year and there are plans to cut another 50 posts over the next few years. The imperative is to save money, and the force claims that its service to the public will not be impaired. No matter how good they are, civilian employees cannot be deployed to frontline policing when there is a major crash, a serious murder or a violent town centre disturbance. One of Dorset’s biggest challenges will be policing the Olympic sailing events at Weymouth in 2012.
The force claims that the national funding formula has taken no account of the effects of Dorset’s substantial nighttime economy or the numbers of visitors to the county.
Clive Chamberlain, the local Police Federation chairman, said: “The Home Office recently warned of a likely 10 per cent increase in crime as the recession bites. It is absolute madness to cut officers when we already struggle to match resources to demand.”
Essex
While others are thinking about how to make ends meet, Essex is recruiting. It aims to find £27 million to put 500 officers on the street and another 100 into detective work. Efficiency savings are the key. Officers are encouraged to fill their cars at low-cost supermarkets, saving about £50,000. The force is reviewing every penny it spends, including the purchase of 73,000 pens each year. By collaborating on work with Kent Police it hopes to save £2 million. “Every police force is looking for savings, but we think we’re prepared to dig far deeper than most,” said Rick Tazzini, the recruitment project director.
source: www.Timesonline.co.uk
