Crime will grow as funds cut says chief constable

Challenging assurances from Government Ministers that neighbourhood and 999 response policing will remain immune, South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes admitted spending reductions “will undoubtedly affect each and every area” of his force.

In a report to South Yorkshire Police Authority, he warns there will be fewer units to tackle serious and organised crime and that support staff cuts will saddle officers with an “increased burden” and detract them from front-line duties.

Yorkshire’s four police forces are preparing to shed more than 2,000 posts this year as they begin the task of overcoming a £200m budget black hole by 2015.

Funding is to be cut by 20 per cent in real terms over the next four years, during which the workforce at South Yorkshire Police alone will have shrunk by 1,100 posts.

But Mr Hughes believes the problem will only get worse as spending cuts by councils and other agencies put “additional demands” on his force.

His report reveals that funding is at risk for social housing, CCTV, PCSOs and mental health services, while at least one Yorkshire council has considered axing its spending on youth services.

Mr Hughes also warns that rising unemployment and changes to the benefit system may force more people to commit crime.

“There is to be a reduction in the number of prison places,” he adds, “and this may result in some prolific offenders living within our communities as opposed to serving time within a custodial facility.

“At the same time, we will see an increase in community sentences with the reduced Probation Service trying to cope with additional demand.

“It seems highly likely that they will struggle to provide the time and focus that these individuals will require.”

Mr Hughes’s warning echoes the view of rank-and-file officers, who have consistently claimed that the Government’s spending plans will lead to a rise in crime.

South Yorkshire Police Federation chairman Bob Pitt said: “The emperor has no clothes here. There will be an impact on communities and congratulations to our chief constable for telling it like it is. He has our support.

“It is about time that not just our chief constable but other chief constables actually come out and tell like it is instead of still trotting out these suggestions that there will be no impact on so-called operational front-line policing.

“These cuts are savage. We as a police service do an awful lot more than most of the public could ever begin to imagine. We are involved with hospitals, schools, social services, other public services, diversionary activities for offenders on probation, and that is before we even start the workaday job.

“The prisons are full because, despite the fact the courts let people go so very often, we keep arresting people, we keep bringing quality evidence before the Crown Prosecution Service and we keep securing convictions.”

Mr Hughes is the first Yorkshire police chief to question publicly whether forces can keep the public safe while budgets shrink.

Other senior officers are more optimistic. North Yorkshire Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell believes money can be saved by delivering more services regionally and nationally.

In an article for today’s Yorkshire Post, Mr Maxwell writes that a “significant change in the structure of policing” is needed to achieve “more with less”.

“The journey will undoubtedly be painful at times,” Mr Maxwell adds, “but the current financial constraints may yet prove the catalyst to creating a leaner and more effective service”.

A Home Office spokesman said: “We believe police forces can make the necessary savings while protecting front-line services and prioritising the visibility and availability of policing.”