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Sir Peter Fahy warns of "fire brigade" style of policing Police cuts: GMP chief Sir Peter Fahy issues £41m savings plan warning
(about 13 hours later)
A police chief has warned government cuts to the policing budget could lead to a "fire brigade" style of policing. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) risks "being a reactive force" if up to 400 officers are axed to save £41m next year, the chief constable said.
Sir Peter Fahy, chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said there was a risk it could "just attend emergency calls and investigate crimes after they have happened". Sir Peter Fahy is concerned the force "will not be able to deploy enough officers and PCSOs into the local community to gather intelligence".
The force could lose between 300 and 400 officers in the next 12 months. GMP has lost 1,100 officers since 2010, leaving about 6,800.
Policing minister Mike Penning said there was "no question" police would have resources for their work. Policing Minister Mike Penning said there was "no question" police would have enough resources to do their work.
"What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are in total," he said. In 2010, GMP said 3,100 jobs - 1,500 officers and 1,600 civilian workers - had to go over a four-year period to meet the government's 25% spending cuts.
GMP announced last week it would have to save £41m in the next financial year. Sir Peter said: "It's really pretty stark now.
It follows the Home Office's confirmation in December that central government funding for police forces in England and Wales would be cut by almost 5% in 2015-16. "I can't reduce much further the number of officers for instance investigating rapes and domestic violence.
'Pet projects' "We then have to look at day-to-day neighbourhood policing and that is the risk - we end up being a reactive police force.
After the government's spending review in 2010, GMP's budget fell by £134m over four years, resulting in a loss of 1,100 officers, the force said. "We need to be in communities, preventing things before they happen."
It estimated it could have fewer than 6,000 officers by 2017, compared to 8,000 in 2010. 'Unpalatable cuts'
Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner, said government cuts were "making it more and more difficult... to provide an effective service". Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester's Police and Crime Commissioner, said crimes including violent crime and domestic violence rose by 8% this year.
He said the government would take nearly £10m from the GMP budget to pay for what he described as their "pet projects", including the Independent Police Complaints Commission and police inspections. He said: "We have already lost 1,100 police officers from the streets of Greater Manchester and this year we are facing another cut of £41m, which [means] there will be hundreds of fewer police officers on our streets.
The sum was £3m more than what it "top-sliced" from the GMP budget in the past year, he added. "To be losing almost half the policing budget by 2020 is unpalatable."
The government said police reform was working and recorded crime fell by 20% in Greater Manchester since the last general election. Ian Hanson, chairman of the area's Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: "We are in a position where we are going to ask ourselves 'Can we afford the luxury of community policing?'
However crime figures are measured differently by the Home Office and police, with GMP saying recorded crime rose by 8% in the past year, particularly violent crimes and domestic violence. "In the 1970s and 80s we went to crime after it happened."
He added: "We've got one of the best police forces in the country and now we're under threat and once it's gone, it's gone."
Mr Penning said: "While we acknowledge that the police funding settlement is challenging there is no question that the police will still have the resources to do their important work.
"What matters is how officers are deployed, not how many of them there are in total.
"The reduction in crime nationwide demonstrates there is no simple link between officer numbers and crime levels, the visibility of the police in the community and the quality of service provided."
He said the government has cut red tape and scrapped unnecessary targets.