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Comprehensive Spending Review
Posted on 20/10/2010
Dear All,
This afternoon the Chancellor, George Osborne, has announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review, that the policing budget is to be cut by 4 % each year over the next 4 years. However, this is the best case scenario and is based on a certain level of income through council tax precepts. It also takes no account of inflation costs.
The following link takes you to the CSR report itself on the Treasury website:
http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/sr2010_completereport.pdf
You will note that the CSR report itself says:
Central government police funding will reduce by 20 per cent in real terms by 2014-15. If Police Authorities were to choose to increase precept (part of council tax) at the level forecast by the Office of Budget Responsibility, the Spending Review settlement means that on average police budgets would see real terms reductions of 14 per cent over the next four years.
The Police Federation have issued the following statement to the media and Paul McKeever and Simon Reed are doing television, radio and national newspaper interviews this afternoon and in to the evening.
POLICE FEDERATION MEDIA STATEMENT
20th October 2010
Responding to today’s Comprehensive Spending Review announcement, Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:
“We are pleased that the government has listened to our concern regarding the detrimental impact a cut of 25 percent would have on policing and public safety. Whilst no cuts are desirable, police officers appreciate the current economic climate and we recognise that a 4 percent cut each year over four years is more manageable. But let’s not pretend it will not be extremely challenging; this is best case scenario the government has presented based on a certain level of council tax precept going towards policing and it does not take account of inflation. We are still likely to see a reduction in police officer numbers and the varying demands on the service increase all the time.
“Whilst appreciating the government’s view that we should purely fight crime, the reality is that police officers deal with a multitude of tasks every day that fall outside of this remit, including the care and welfare of vulnerable citizens in society. These cuts could mean that areas not covered by other agencies, such as dealing with people on the streets with mental illness, drug and alcohol issues and missing person enquiries, are the ones that suffer.”
