‘BROKEN COPS’ FAILING PUBLIC
Police boss: Cuts cause crime crisis
THE public are being “failed” because huge cuts have left some forces unable to catch criminals, according to the Police Federation boss.
John Apter claims stretched resources and falling police numbers mean officers are being forced to adapt and are sometimes buckling.
Mr Apter, who is the new head of the rank-and-file body, said forces in some areas are “broken” and added that the public would continue to “suffer” until they get more funding.
The veteran cop accused the Government of creating a “crisis” in Wild West Britain as soaring numbers of moped and gang crimes sweep the country, leaving police officers unable to do their job. He said: “We can’t do everything – there are going to be situations where we simply can’t deliver the policing we want to deliver.
“In those cases we are failing the public but that’s not the fault of police officers on the ground, and in some cases it’s not the chief constable’s fault.
“You can only slice the financial cake so many ways and you have to prioritise.”
Mr Apter blamed the cuts on the Government – and said they were so focused on savings that they were struggling to do their jobs.
He added: “The public are already suffering and they are going to suffer more and more.”
In March there were just 122,404 officers in England and Wales – the lowest since records began – at a time when statistics showed crime had soared by 11%.
The change of approach comes a year after the Metropolitan Police announced new guidelines for officers to “determine very quickly if it is proportionate” to investigate “lower level, higher volume offences”. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons explained the force had less money to work with and claimed the Crime Assessment Policy would help prioritise resources.
Despite this, Home Secretary Sajid Javid has vowed to provide forces with the “tools, the powers and the back-up that you need to get the job done”.
IT must be so disheartening to be a police officer in this climate of cuts.
Our cops work incredibly hard trying to keep us safe.
And they show immense bravery risking their lives in the most difficult circumstances.
Even if they often have to deal with a barrage of abuse – and a mountain of paperwork.
But they are being stretched more and more. Dwindling resources are making it far harder for them to carry out their duties.
When the head of the Police Federation admits some forces are “broken”, things must be wrong.
Our government must listen to such dire warnings.
There are no more corners to be cut in funding our brave boys and girls in blue.
If anything, when lawlessness is raging across the country, this is the time to pump money into policing.
Brits want to see more bobbies on the street protecting us and catching criminals.