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| New police commissioners to press Theresa May for cuts rethink | New police commissioners to press Theresa May for cuts rethink |
| (4 months later) | |
| Newly elected Labour police and crime commissioners who meet the home secretary, Theresa May, for the first time on Monday are to press her for a radical rethink of her strategy of imposing 20% budget cuts. | Newly elected Labour police and crime commissioners who meet the home secretary, Theresa May, for the first time on Monday are to press her for a radical rethink of her strategy of imposing 20% budget cuts. |
| The home secretary will meet 41 newly elected police and crime commissioners at a Home Office "welcome event". She is also expected to face pressure to review the growing private sector involvement in policing. | The home secretary will meet 41 newly elected police and crime commissioners at a Home Office "welcome event". She is also expected to face pressure to review the growing private sector involvement in policing. |
| The newly elected PCCs claim that audits undertaken in the last fortnight show that the financial situation facing their forces as a result of Whitehall spending cuts is worse than they had thought. | The newly elected PCCs claim that audits undertaken in the last fortnight show that the financial situation facing their forces as a result of Whitehall spending cuts is worse than they had thought. |
| Commissioners and chief constables have both warned that forces cannot cope with a further round of police spending cuts without doing serious damage to frontline policing. | Commissioners and chief constables have both warned that forces cannot cope with a further round of police spending cuts without doing serious damage to frontline policing. |
| The meeting is being held as some newly elected police and crime commissioners have already attracted criticism for appointing deputies on salaries of up to £68,000 a year without advertising the jobs. In Northamptonshire the Conservative PCC, Adam Simmonds, has already appointed four "assistant commissioners" on £65,000 salaries each, including one for "governance" who was his election agent. | The meeting is being held as some newly elected police and crime commissioners have already attracted criticism for appointing deputies on salaries of up to £68,000 a year without advertising the jobs. In Northamptonshire the Conservative PCC, Adam Simmonds, has already appointed four "assistant commissioners" on £65,000 salaries each, including one for "governance" who was his election agent. |
| Alan Charles, Labour's commissioner in Derbyshire, said it was time for May to rethink her cost-saving strategy that had already led to the loss of thousands of frontline police officers across England and Wales. | Alan Charles, Labour's commissioner in Derbyshire, said it was time for May to rethink her cost-saving strategy that had already led to the loss of thousands of frontline police officers across England and Wales. |
| "Derbyshire has already endured painful losses in police numbers and any continued drive to realise further savings from the police budget, above those we already face, will leave us in a very vulnerable position in future," he said. | "Derbyshire has already endured painful losses in police numbers and any continued drive to realise further savings from the police budget, above those we already face, will leave us in a very vulnerable position in future," he said. |
| He said that they would be seeking assurances from the home secretary that the forthcoming consultations over the 2013/14 police budgets would be a two-way conversation rather than simply an imposition of another round of cuts. It is expected that draft Home Office proposals for police funding covering the next two financial years 2013 – 2015 will be published in the next two weeks. | He said that they would be seeking assurances from the home secretary that the forthcoming consultations over the 2013/14 police budgets would be a two-way conversation rather than simply an imposition of another round of cuts. It is expected that draft Home Office proposals for police funding covering the next two financial years 2013 – 2015 will be published in the next two weeks. |
| "The current plans continue a path that has led to the loss of nearly 7,000 frontline officers to date with 15,000 police set to have been lost by 2015," said a Labour party spokesman. | "The current plans continue a path that has led to the loss of nearly 7,000 frontline officers to date with 15,000 police set to have been lost by 2015," said a Labour party spokesman. |
| Several PCCs are to press the home secretary for a "fair" funding deal for their forces arguing that the current funding formula penalises large urban areas such as the West Midlands at the expense of rural forces, such as Surrey. | Several PCCs are to press the home secretary for a "fair" funding deal for their forces arguing that the current funding formula penalises large urban areas such as the West Midlands at the expense of rural forces, such as Surrey. |
| But the home secretary has insisted that forces can absorb the 20% cuts in Whitehall funding without damaging frontline policing if they are prepared to undertake "transformational" partnerships with the private sector to reduce back office costs. | But the home secretary has insisted that forces can absorb the 20% cuts in Whitehall funding without damaging frontline policing if they are prepared to undertake "transformational" partnerships with the private sector to reduce back office costs. |
| Bedfordshire's chief constable, Alfred Hitchcock, yesterday became the latest senior police officer to warn about the impact of budget cuts: "We have done well but we have come as close as we can to being as lean as we can, without real damage. | Bedfordshire's chief constable, Alfred Hitchcock, yesterday became the latest senior police officer to warn about the impact of budget cuts: "We have done well but we have come as close as we can to being as lean as we can, without real damage. |
| "There is a genuine worry of what the future will look like. If there is another round of cuts...we would be forced into adopting a far more responsive style," he said. | "There is a genuine worry of what the future will look like. If there is another round of cuts...we would be forced into adopting a far more responsive style," he said. |
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