Ministers ‘running risk of perfect storm’ on policing

Mrs Cooper said ministers were in danger of creating a “perfect storm” by reducing funding for police, crime prevention and probation services.

The comments came after warnings about the impact of austerity measures from South Yorkshire Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes were revealed in Saturday’s Yorkshire Post.

In a report to the local police authority, Mr Hughes said Government expectations of improving performance despite a 20 per cent cut in central funding over the next few years were “challenging if not unrealistic in the longer term”.

There would be fewer units to tackle serious and organised crime and an “increased burden” for front-line officers due to a loss of support staff.

He also highlighted potential problems from wider social issues warning that forces face a further burden as budget cuts elsewhere begin to bite. With increasing unemployment and benefits changes he feared more people will turn to crime. Job losses in the wider community and fewer officers were a difficult combination, he warned, adding there could also more political demonstrations which put resources under pressure.

Mr Hughes also gave a strong warning that the closure of the Forensic Science Service laboratory, in Wetherby, which is said to be losing £2m a month and is due to be wound down by March 2012, will affect constabularies in the North East region more than others because of they are more reliant on its services.

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.

Mrs Cooper said the previous Labour government had decided a 12 per cent reduction in police budgets over the course of a parliament was the maximum without hitting the front line.

“You attack the police and also make cuts in the number of police, and of course cutting prevention and probation at the same time. Put all of those things together and I do think it’s taking risks.”

She added: “We’re already seeing police officers being lost from the front line. We know that they’re going to be losing over 12,000 police officers, another 15,000 police support staff. And we’re also already seeing some of the 2,000 officers who are being forced into early retirement, many of them are front-line officers.

“They’re working in neighbourhood policing, in firearms, in a whole series of different areas. You know, you talk to them. They are coming off the front line and chief constables are confirming the same thing too.”

Sir High Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said he wanted to protect the number of front-line officers visible to the public, but those working behind the scenes in areas such as cyber crime were just as important.