Crime rate will soar if budgets slashed, say police

More than 42,000 members of the Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, responded to the survey about the cuts, which also revealed that morale has plummeted in forces across the country.

In Yorkshire 99 per cent of officers who took part said morale was down since the Government revealed its proposals.

The results in the region showed 88 per cent believe cutting police numbers will have a detrimental effect on crime levels, 84 per cent believe their workload has already increased and 93 per cent believe there will be a decline in service delivery.

Yorkshire’s four forces are preparing to shed thousands of posts as they attempt to tackle a £200m black hole in their budgets by 2015. South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes broke ranks last month to become the first police chief to question the scope of the cuts and to ask whether the public can be kept safe as finances come under pressure.

The federation chairman in England and Wales, Paul McKeever, said: “Let’s improve policing, not destroy it. The Government must listen to these views from the front line and give the public and the police the opportunity to shape a police service that is appropriate for the future and able to deliver what is expected of it.

“The federation is not opposed to change and accept that policing must play its part in public sector cuts. But there is a right way and a wrong way to reform.”

The Government hit back at the claims, Home Secretary Theresa May saying forces could make “significant savings” without affecting frontline services.

Mrs May, speaking yesterday following further claims by the Association of Chief Police Officers that 12,000 police officer jobs will have to go, said it was up to chief constables to decide how to structure their staff, but cuts had to be made and it was “right to look at pay, terms and conditions”, because pay made up 80 per cent of police expenditure.

She said: “People talk a lot about police numbers, as if police numbers are the holy grail. But, actually what matters is what those police are doing. It’s about how those police are deployed.”

The Home Secretary is expected to face a wave of discontent when she gives a keynote speech to the annual Police Federation conference, which begins tomorrow in Bournemouth.

Several senior officers and Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have already accused the coalition of taking risks with public safety. Anger has been building since former rail regulator Tom Winsor said the most wide-ranging analysis of police pay in 30 years showed more than £1bn of savings should be made.

The federation survey was available to all 139,000 members between March 11 and April 15 and received a 30 per cent response.

Former Home Secretary David Blunkett called on the Government to rethink the plans.

The MP for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough said: “This fulfils my worst fears about the results of the over fast and severe cut backs in spending, and the setting aside of the most experienced and long serving officers to save cash. The Government, even at this late stage, should think again.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The Government’s priority is to deal with the budget deficit and as a service spending £14bn a year of public money the police can and must make their fair share of the savings.

“We are confident that the police service can maintain the drive to cut crime while becoming more efficient.”