Labour under the cosh over ‘dishonesty’ on police cuts

Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the job losses, revealed in a party survey of police forces up and down the country, showed the “shocking and brutal reality” of the Government’s spending cuts.

Ms Cooper said the cuts were “only the beginning” as a third of forces had yet to announce reductions to their workforces.

Staff working in North Yorkshire Police’s control room at Newby Wiske, near Northallerton, became the latest yesterday to be given formal briefings about cuts under force plans to save £19m over the next four years.

The force is carrying out a consultation which could lead to the closure of the control room with the loss of up to 100 jobs to focus resources on its York control room.

Ms Cooper said: “Far from protecting frontline policing as Ministers promised, over 10,000 police officers are being cut in the next few years alone.

“That’s 10,000 fewer police officers fighting crime, solving serious cases, or keeping our country safe.

“Cutting so fast and so deep into police budgets is crazy. It is completely out of touch with communities across the country who want to keep bobbies on the beat.

“Chief constables are being put in an impossible position. They are working hard to fight crime, but the Government is pulling the rug from underneath them.”

Ms Cooper stopped short of predicting that crime would rise.

However she added: “I think they are taking risks with that but all of us should be working to prevent it happening.

“But we know that’s what a lot of communities across the country will be very worried about right now.

“The Government has claimed there is no link between the number of police officers and the level of crime and that’s just not what the evidence shows, both in Britain and across Europe as well.”

Policing Minister Nick Herbert said he did not accept Labour’s claims, which he branded “totally dishonest”.

He said “de-bureaucratising” the police and handing officers discretion to deal with cases were just as important as numbers on the frontline if the Government wanted to reduce crime.

Forces across the country should be more efficient as they currently employ 5,000 staff to work on 2,000 different computer systems, while chief constables could share backroom operations such as procurement, he said.

“No, I don’t accept Labour Party figures,” Mr Herbert said. “I think it is better to wait for official figures. We have never said we can guarantee police numbers and nor has the Opposition said that.

“Actually, I think this is totally dishonest on their part. Firstly, because it denies their responsibility for bequeathing the country the deficit we are having to deal with.

“Secondly, because they too have said they would cut police spending by over £1bn which is what the inspectorate (HM Inspectorate of Constabulary) says can be saved by the police in making efficiencies. Of course that would mean a smaller workforce.

“But I think it would be quite wrong to imply there would be this impact on frontline policing which every chief constable is determined to prioritise (against).”

The Government’s spending review set police budget cuts at 20 per cent by 2014-15. Ministers have said they aim to avoid any reduction in the visibility and availability of police on the streets.

According to Labour’s research, which looked at all 42 police authorities except for British Transport Police, a total of 10,190 police officers are to be cut.

The Association of Chief Police Officers said it would not be commenting on the dispute. It has previously said the cuts meant “difficult choices” for forces in the coming years.

Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said the “consequences of such harsh cuts to the frontline is finally hitting home”.

“We have in the past been accused of scaremongering when we voiced our very real concerns. We were not,” he said.

“Such harsh cuts to policing will result in a change for the worst which could compromise public safety.”

Yesterday, North Yorkshire Police, which plans to shed 350 police civilian jobs amounting to a quarter of its non-frontline manpower, said it would be inappropriate to comment while the consultation was under way.