Police cuts 'will hit war on terror'

Scotland Yard's Assistant Commissioner John Yates said counter-terrorism officers would have to make savings in the region of 150m as part of "eye-watering" Treasury cuts.

But he said shaving 25 per cent from the police budget risked weakening defences against al-Qaida.

The Metropolitan Police would see 87m wiped from its anti-terror budget, while units across the country would lose 62m, Mr Yates said during a private meeting at the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) annual conference in Manchester.

One of the delegates who attended the closed session told The Times such cuts could result in the closure of regional counter-terrorism units with fewer surveillance teams.