Pay, politics and policing

Police authorities, such as South Yorkshire, want to cut the cost of running forces, chief constables have to be seen to make savings while maintaining a decent service and taxpayers want swift attention if they are attacked or if their house is burgled. It is potent mix and one that requires great political skill from the Government Ministers to see all of these objectives achieved – without falling out with the boys in blue.

The councillors who sit on police authorities are right to see every area as a way to save money but there are more worthwhile targets

to purse than overtime. Meredydd Hughes, the Chief Constable of South Yorkshire police, has already agreed to reduce the overtime bill by 267,000 a year so it is difficult to see why making nearly another 200,000 of cuts in this area should be a priority. Simply cutting the amount of time officers spend on duty, when this force has already lost about 200 officers, does not represent a good long-term way of making law enforcement lean.

Instead, forces should be given a chance to reduce the amount of money they spend elsewhere. Savings can be made by cutting paperwork, streamlining the management structure and changing the way uniforms and equipment are purchased.

Forces need to preserve their own identity and local knowledge but making efficiencies by pooling resources in the backroom must be the way forward. The Home Office has a part to play in this as it tries to cut Britain's budget deficit without harming frontline services.

Mr Hughes may appear to be swimming against the political tide but the quality of crime prevention and detection should not be undermined. There are other ways to save money. He and his authority should do their best to find them.