It will become increasingly difficult to maintain an effective service to the public as the present trend in cuts continues

ACPO President Sir Hugh Orde:

“The police service has lost 34,000 police and staff since 2010. The 5.1% budget reduction announced today will lead to further losses, with more impact on the frontline which the police service has managed largely to protect until now.

“With reduced budgets, the Crime Survey of England and Wales published in October, shows that we have succeeded in reducing overall crime. This is testament to the ongoing commitment and professionalism of our officers and staff, but it will become increasingly difficult to maintain performance levels and an effective and efficient service to the public as the present trend in cuts continues.

“Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has found that a small number of forces are close to experiencing financial difficulty. It is anticipated that a number of other forces will experience operational challenges as cuts continue. The Association of Chief Police Officers, the Home Office and HMIC are working together to determine the viability of future budget reductions and their potential impact on policing.”

“While forces understand that the Government wants to invest in specific areas where they feel there is a national policing interest; the allocation of funds to the IPCC, HMIC and the Police Innovation Fund reduces overall force budgets. Most forces would prefer that this money was left in their budget to spend where there is most need in their force.”

Full details of grant settlement - http://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-vote-office/December%202014/17%20December/12-Home-PoliceGrant.pdf