Getty ImagesPolice chiefs have warned the home secretary that neighborhood police officers will not be given more funding without further funding. Government priority – Can be cut.
Almost a quarter of police forces in England and Wales have called on Yvette Cooper to underwrite pay rises and higher employer tax costs when details of their funding are announced early next week. .
Some face budget deficits of £10m or more, and Lincolnshire Police’s chief constable told the BBC that a third of his officers’ jobs could be at risk, threatening the viability of the force. may be imposed.
A Home Office spokesman said the police funding settlement for next year would “fully cover the annual pay award and give forces more money to recruit officers and keep our streets safer”.
The spokesman added that the Home Secretary had confirmed that forces would be “fully compensated” for changes to employer National Insurance contributions.
In a recent speech, Yvette Cooper announced that police spending in England and Wales would rise by more than £500m, including £100m to pay for 13,000 more neighborhood officers and £100m for extra tax and pay costs. 260m included.
But since then, some police chiefs have warned they still face deep cuts and have questioned whether the extra funding will last beyond this year.
The largest force in the UK is headed by Sir Mark Rowley, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. warned that 2,300 officers and 400 other staff may have to go..
Chief constables have been given extra money in recent years to fund what the Conservatives call “growth” in police numbers. After cuts made during the 2010-2015 coalition government’s austerity regime, it largely restored staff numbers to previous levels.
However, some forces say they are now struggling to maintain the minimum officer levels set by the government. If they fall below the minimum, they lose some funds.
Reserves have run deep in police precincts across the country and many have sold property to protect frontline staff.
The BBC has been told that police forces who have either written to or contacted the Home Secretary to ask for help include:
- Lincolnshire Police, the best-funded force in the country per capita, is at risk of leaving 400 of its 1,100 officers, according to its chief constable.
- Essex Police, with a potential deficit of £10m, and warnings of cutting 200 officers, loses valuable experience in the neighbourhood.
- Essex, Cambridgeshire, Suffolk and Hertfordshire have sent a joint letter to the Home Office warning of the cuts.
- Norfolk and Bedfordshire, who are separately represented.
The Metropolitan Police, the country’s largest police force, which covers national responsibilities such as counter-terrorism, faces a potential deficit of £450m.
The government is expected to announce funding for each force next week, but senior officers are questioning whether the money available will be based on actual deficits. A funding formula that more broadly determines how much each force receives..
Home Office officials insist the original bill for higher taxes will be met next year.
The government has not yet committed to reforming the funding formula.
It was formulated in 2006 and some forces argue that it is now outdated. As a result of changing crime patterns and a growing population, they are struggling to maintain funding levels.
Lincolnshire has seen its population grow by 13 per cent over the past 20 years, and says funding has not kept up.
Chief Constable Paul Gibson said that to maintain current operations, the force would need an extra £57 million over the next three-and-a-half years.
If the government did not help, he said, “I would need to pull out more than 400 police officers and police personnel from the organization.”
There are currently 1,189 officers employed in Lincolnshire.
“At what point does the police force lose its effectiveness?” he asked. “We have great people who do great things with the resources they have and I’m very supportive of that.
“But the bottom line is that we can’t police a shoe.”
The county’s Conservative police and crime commissioner, Mark Jones, said the lack of detention suites meant officers had to travel long distances between towns and, on one of the country’s largest networks of rural roads, to transport suspects. Simultaneously, police units struggle to prevent high levels of traffic. Death and injuries.
There are 60 neighborhood officers covering 2,500 square miles in Lincolnshire. Grimsby, administered by neighboring Humberside, has the same number of officers for the same town.
“It’s outrageous that our next-door neighbor can deploy as many neighborhood police officers in one city as we can deploy in our entire county,” Mr. Jones said. “.
Chief Constable Gibson said the funding problem was so serious, all 60 neighborhood officers in the county could be at risk, which he said had turned Lincolnshire into a purely “reactive” force. will go
He dismissed suggestions that the force could seek further savings. In recent years Lincolnshire has replaced police helicopters with drones, moved gun licenses online, and introduced mobile fingerprint units in a bid to save money.
A rethink of the 2006 police funding formula could give Lincolnshire an extra 10% to 12% more cash.
But better-funded forces would lose money, creating a tough political challenge for the government, so a new formula remains.
More funding for future years is expected to be announced in April, and officials have indicated they may consider updating the funding formula.
The Government is working on plans to improve the way police forces buy equipment and services and to help forces share resources.
Officials say it will help forces balance budgets and improve services.