Police warn of funding shortages
Representatives of police forces from across England and Wales will be in Parliament to lobby MPs today over what they claim is a £350 million shortfall in funding.
Police representatives claim that if more money is not found, then there could be a cut in frontline police numbers.
They claim that they need an increase of 5.5 per cent from the Home Office to meet new responsibilities, implement the reform agenda, pay for forensic, IT and technological developments and fund a rise in pensions as a result of the retirement of officers recruited en mass in the 1970s.
But, police believe they are only in line to get a three per cent increase in central government funding, and with the Government determined to insure that there are no large council tax rises, extra revenue can not be raised from that source.
The Government stresses that police numbers are currently at a record high, and no decision has yet been made about next year’s funding settlement.
The chairman of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Len Duvall, said: “Central funding has fallen short of what we needed in previous years, but we have been able to make up the difference from local council tax.
“We can’t continue to do this, because the public are getting fed up of rising council tax, and the government are threatening to cap increases. This means that without at least 5.5 per cent funding from the government, cuts in police services may have to be made.”
Commenting on the police’s lobbying, Shadow Home Secretary, David Davis, said: “The only way to stem the tide of violent, gun and drug crime in Britain is to put more police on our streets. The council tax payer has already stumped up large amounts of money for extra officers but Police Authorities are still not getting the money they need to recruit more policemen.
“Not only will recruit more 40,000 extra officers, but we have promised to make the funding formula simpler and more transparent.”
David Heath, the Liberal Democrats policing spokesman, said: “There is no point recruiting police officers one year, just to let them go again because there is not enough money to keep them. The Home Secretary must now decide whether he is in favour of a cap on Police Authorities.”
