Police Federation says public left vulnerable by Tory cuts
POLICE are failing the public because of Tory cuts, the new head of the Police Federation has warned.
John Apter said shortages left officers unable to probe some crimes.
He said: “There are going to be situations where we can’t deliver the policing we want to deliver.
“The public are going to suffer more and more.”
There were 122,404 police officers in England and Wales at the end of March – the lowest since 1996. But crime has risen 11% in a year with forces logging 5.5 million incidents in the 12 months to March. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott said: “We cannot have security on the cheap. The Government must listen to the Police Federation.” The Home Office said police investment will be increased by £460million in 2018-19.