Nearly 2,000 community support officers to be axed in police jobs cull

Published by Ross Macmillan for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities, Local Government

More than 34,000 police jobs will be lost as part of Government cuts, inspectors have ruled.

About 16,200 police officers will be axed by 2015 amid fears crime could go up by 3%, a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary said.

Up to 1,800 community support officers and 16,100 police staff will also go as part of an overall reduction of 14%, the study of 43 forces across England and Wales said.

Protecting frontline policing will be "very challenging" over the next 18 months, inspectors found.

"Forces will have to transform their efficiency if they are to protect frontline services," the report added.

Roger Baker, of HMIC, said it "went without saying" that forces were facing their biggest financial challenge in a generation.

HMIC chief Sir Denis O'Connor added: "The police service must adapt to these changing times in order to deliver the best deal for taxpayers and they will need some support to do this."

Police officer numbers will be at their lowest level since 2001/02, the report said.

City of London police will be worst hit, with cuts of up to 19% in its gross revenue expenditure by 2015.

Across England and Wales, police workforce levels will be reduced to 209,800 - compared with 243,900 in March last year.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said the potential loss of 2,500 frontline officers was an "irresponsible gamble".

Results show damage to policing from the Government's 20% cuts is "even worse than we previously feared", she said.

"Cutting 16,200 police officers, including 2,500 frontline officers by next year alone, is an irresponsible gamble with crime and public safety," she said.

"Already we have lost 4,650 officers since spring 2010. These have included specialist firearms officers, experienced officers who have cut crime in their communities, and even officers who recently won national bravery awards.

"The Home Secretary has said the cuts don't need to affect the number of officers or frontline services.

"But the independent inspectorate's report shows that is wrong. Many forces have no choice but to cut frontline officers because of the scale and pace of the Government cuts.

"Theresa May has put chief constables up and down the country in an impossible position."

David Cameron said yesterday that the phone-hacking crisis and allegations of police payments "calls for us to stand back and take another, broader look at the whole culture of policing in this country".

The review was published amid warnings from rank and file officers that the Government is risking the nation's safety over cuts.

Reforms by ministers will fuel crime and take policing back to the 1970s, the Police Federation claims.

Anger has been building in frontline policing since former rail regulator Tom Winsor said the most wide-ranging analysis of forces pay in 30 years showed more than £1 billion of savings should be made.

Speaking to reporters in central London, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg admitted the cuts would be "incredibly difficult".

He said: "It's not possible to somehow ringfence the financial pressures that exist on all public services.

"But there are a lot of things we can do to make sure the effect is not damaging on the front line."

Mr Clegg said the HMIC report made it "very clear there are a whole load of things you can do in terms of savings on bureaucracy, on backroom functions to make sure you keep as many police officers out on the streets where people want to see them".

He added: "There are far, far too many police officers who are filling in forms or tied down to their desks when they are not out in the community where they belong."

Mr Clegg claimed studies failed to show an automatic relationship between police numbers and crime.

The HMIC published supplementary research from academics suggesting officer numbers are linked with crime rates.

A 10% reduction in force levels could lead to a 3% increase in crime, the evidence suggested.

The Government said it was cutting out "needless bureaucracy" as it responded to the report.

Crime and security minister James Brokenshire said police "can and are rising to the challenge" by reducing costs from the back office.

"HMIC predict that by March 2012 the proportion of the police workforce working in frontline roles will be higher than it was in March 2010, he said.

"Every force should be driving through efficiencies, rooting out wasteful spending and cutting crime.

"We are playing our part by getting rid of needless bureaucracy, cutting out wasted time and money in IT and making sure police forces make the most of their vast purchasing power by buying together.

"Changes such as streamlining the crime recording processes and returning charging discretion to officers could save well over 2.5 million hours of police time each year.

"The effectiveness of a police force depends not on its total numbers but on how well it uses its resources."

Scotland Yard is due to lose 3,111 staff, including 1,907 officers, figures obtained by Ken Livingstone said.

The former London mayor said: "These cuts risk undermining the work which the police and local communities are doing to make our streets safer.

"The Conservative mayor's cuts will mean some of the most experienced and able officers losing their jobs, including 300 of the 600 sergeants who manage local police teams."

Police chiefs said forces were facing "difficult choices" meeting national demands on policing.

Chief Constable Chris Sims, of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said: "The report shows forces have made a start but face difficult choices in balancing responsiveness to local need with national demands on policing.

"Differing sizes, workforce mixes and financial starting positions mean each force is in a unique situation. But alongside huge effort to drive out cost we will see a smaller workforce and significant changes to the service we offer.

"Chiefs understand the policing sector cannot be immune from cuts taking place across the public sector. To be successful in preserving our service to the public we need the freedom to challenge the way we operate and, rather than crude numbers, focus on outcomes that keep people safe."