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FEDERATION RESPONSE TO HMIC Report - Adapting to Austerity
Posted on 22/07/2011
Paul McKeever, Chairman of the Police Federation of England and Wales, says:
The HMIC report confirms our worst fears; that cuts being implemented by this government will turn the clock back at least a decade by reducing police officers and police staff by over 34,000 by 2015. The knock-on effect will be police forces struggling to keep their heads above water as they try to deal with increasing demands and diminishing resources. This will fundamentally change the way we police our communities and an almost inevitable consequence will be a rise in crime rates as the population continues to increase and police numbers fall.
"The HMIC made clear last year that the maximum budget cut the police service could sustain is 12 percent, without there being an adverse effect on the service provided. The first duty of government is the protection of its citizens; this independent report casts serious doubt that this is achievable with the 20 percent budget cut being imposed and the government must take due cognisance of this. With such a state of flux in policing, it is time to take stock and conduct a Royal Commission on Policing to ensure we have a police service that is fit for purpose to deal with future public expectations and demands."
READ the report here:
http://www.hmic.gov.uk/Programmes/vfm/Pages/PreparednessInspection.aspx
