Public spending cuts will inevitably lead to fewer police officers on the streets, the leader of the country’s chief constables is to say today.
Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, will tell its conference in Manchester that the current record number of police officers is unsustainable in the climate of austerity. He is expected to say that the cuts will hit all areas of policing — from the visible presence on the streets to the vital work that goes on out of sight of the public.
“There is a clear understanding within the service that there will be substantial cuts in funding across the public sector, and whilst spending on police taken as a percentage of total central government spend is small — at 3 per cent in 2009 — we fully understand that all will have to share the pain,” Sir Hugh will say.
“The harsh reality is that depending on the severity of the cuts, it would be misleading in the extreme to suggest the size of the service is sustainable. I am pleased this Government has not played the simplistic numbers game, but focused on policing outcomes.”
Theresa May, the Home Secretary, will be present and Sir Hugh is expected to challenge her to come up urgently with the details of what lies in store.
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The Acpo president conceded that Government was unlikely to grant his wish for an independent review on the future and functions of the police service. But he cautioned against the prospect of 44 different forces setting out to make savings or carry out mergers in an ad hoc manner.
He will say that it is his duty to “point out that the consequence of approaching structural reform in a uncoordinated way is that we will see a variety of approaches across the country”.
Sir Hugh will also tell the Home Secretary to assess the importance of central policing bodies, such as the National Policing Improvement Agency, before cutting them to save money.
“While the blocks upon which policing is built are 44 forces across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there is a clear economic need for an overarching structure to deliver some services more effectively — these range from the national IT strategy through to the response to terrorism at a national and international level.”
The Home Secretary is expected to use her speech to the conference to reiterate the coalition’s commitment to directly elected officials that can hold police forces and chiefs to account.
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• Nick Gargan, of the National Policing Improvement Agency, has told the Financial Times that merging the bodies that supervise British policing — his organisation, the Serious Organised Crime Agency and the oversight functions of the Association of Chief Police Officers — would be “entirely sensible”.