Cooper hits out over cuts in number of ‘front-line’ police

Figures released under freedom of information laws suggest the number of “first responder” officers has dropped by 5,261 since the General Election.

David Cameron has repeatedly insisted that front-line police have not been affected by cuts to budgets.

But Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, who uncovered the latest details, said they showed that his claims were “bogus”.

HM Inspectorate of Constabulary defines “first responders” as those responding to 999 calls, attending traffic accidents and being first at the scenes of crime and other incidents.

The forces that have apparently suffered the biggest culls include Devon & Cornwall, which had lost 540 “first responders” (25 per cent of its total) between March 2010 and last December, and West Midlands, which lost 1,023 (19 per cent).

The total figure is likely to be significantly higher, as only 23 of 43 forces have so far provided data.

Ms Cooper, the MP for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford, said: “This steep fall in the front-line teams who respond to 999 calls just goes to show how damaging it is for the Government to cut 16,000 police officers.”

Police Minister Nick Herbert said the Government was protecting the front line, insisting the debate was not all about the “raw numbers”.

He accused Labour of “scaremongering”, telling Sky News it was an “inconvenient truth” crime was falling despite reduced policy budgets.