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| Police funding fears in North Wales and Dyfed-Powys | Police funding fears in North Wales and Dyfed-Powys |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Senior figures at two Welsh police forces have raised fears about their funding in the coming years. | Senior figures at two Welsh police forces have raised fears about their funding in the coming years. |
| North Wales Chief Constable Mark Polin said the police were likely to "bear the brunt" of further cuts to the Home Office budget by 2020. | North Wales Chief Constable Mark Polin said the police were likely to "bear the brunt" of further cuts to the Home Office budget by 2020. |
| Dyfed-Powys Commissioner Christopher Salmon has urged ministers to take rural needs into account when changing the police funding formula. | Dyfed-Powys Commissioner Christopher Salmon has urged ministers to take rural needs into account when changing the police funding formula. |
| The Home Office has said no decisions have been taken beyond this year. | The Home Office has said no decisions have been taken beyond this year. |
| 'Significant challenge' | 'Significant challenge' |
| Mr Polin sent an email to North Wales force employees responding to a UK government statement that by 2020 the Home Office would have only half of the funds it had in 2010. | Mr Polin sent an email to North Wales force employees responding to a UK government statement that by 2020 the Home Office would have only half of the funds it had in 2010. |
| He said: "The police service represents the largest slice of the Home Office budget and therefore it is a realistic assumption that we will bear the brunt of any such reduction. | He said: "The police service represents the largest slice of the Home Office budget and therefore it is a realistic assumption that we will bear the brunt of any such reduction. |
| "Indeed, a further cut of between 25% and 40% is being suggested and you won't need me to tell you how this would represent a significant challenge for us (and other forces) to achieve in addition to that we have already saved and plan to save." | "Indeed, a further cut of between 25% and 40% is being suggested and you won't need me to tell you how this would represent a significant challenge for us (and other forces) to achieve in addition to that we have already saved and plan to save." |
| Mr Salmon - supported by three of the region's Conservative MPs - called for "fair funding" for rural areas in the current consultation over changes to the Police Allocation Formula, which the Home Office says needs updating. | Mr Salmon - supported by three of the region's Conservative MPs - called for "fair funding" for rural areas in the current consultation over changes to the Police Allocation Formula, which the Home Office says needs updating. |
| In a letter to ministers, Mr Salmon and the MPs - Chris Davies, Glyn Davies and Simon Hart - claimed the new formula would favour heavily-populated urban centres and make little allowance for the extra costs associated with policing rural areas. | |
| "We urge, on behalf of the people of Dyfed-Powys, that the government recognises the limitations of urban-based statistics in describing rural areas," the letter said. | "We urge, on behalf of the people of Dyfed-Powys, that the government recognises the limitations of urban-based statistics in describing rural areas," the letter said. |
| "We also urge that the government does not neglect the additional cost of providing services to those areas, from additional fuel costs to the additional infrastructure required to maintain a reasonable emergency response." | "We also urge that the government does not neglect the additional cost of providing services to those areas, from additional fuel costs to the additional infrastructure required to maintain a reasonable emergency response." |