Budget cuts continue to challenge all police forces

Acting ACPO President Peter Vaughan said:

“All chief constables have planned carefully to manage the impact of budget cuts over the last five years and the demand on the service remains.

“It’s a simple reality that as we lose more staff we will have to prioritise more. The 5.1% budget reduction announced in December will lead to further losses, with more impact on the frontline which the service has largely managed to protect until now.

“We will continue to adapt and be innovative about how we work to maintain the safety of our communities and in an effort to continue to reduce crime but rises in reports of child abuse and growing challenges from cyber-crime, public protection issues and terrorism means that forces need to invest more heavily in these areas.

“We highly value the efforts of officers and staff to meet demand and whilst we have no doubt they will continue in their unwavering effort to keep communities safe, further cuts will make it more difficult for us to keep up an effective and efficient service to the public.”