GUN FRIGHT
public protection. He added: “When the terrorism threat level was raised to critical recently, neighbourhood policing stopped across the country. “The Budget in November gives the Government the chance to give police forces the funding they need to keep us all safe.” Labour has also discovered a further 1,000 police officers would have to be cut to cover wage rises. The Government has offered a one per cent hike – but forces say they will have to find it from within their own budgets. There were 123,142 officers across all ranks in England and Wales at the end of March. This was a fall of 0.7 per cent from 2016 and the lowest number since records began in 1996. But the Home Office said it was probably “the lowest number since 1985”.
Longer
Cleveland Police were hardest-hit with a 39 per cent drop from 2010 to 2017.
Notts and Greater Manchester police lost 35 per cent while Staffordshire, Leicestershire, Durham and Merseyside all lost around a third.
Steve White, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “We have been saying for a long time the service has been decimated. Whenever a crisis happens there is talk of ‘extra’ officers being put on patrol but these aren’t ‘extra’ officers.
“They are the same officers working longer shifts, or who have had days off cancelled and are run ragged.gged. This has a negative impact mpact on their health, which ch has an impact on sickness s levels, which has a further her impact on their colleagues. eagues. It is a vicious circle.cle.
“The servicervice the public are getting is far below whatat it should bee – andd however much officers try to meet the demand, it is just rising.” Lib Dem Home Affairs spokesman Ed Davey said: “When Britain’s most senior police officers are sounding the alar alarm, ministers should be acting. “The police desperatelyd need morem funding, the disappearance of bobbies on the beat means intelligence is dr drying up which is vital to preventingp attacks. Failu Failure to act is leaving Brit Britain vulnerable.”
Despite government pledges to increase resources we are seeing the number of armed police fall.
Senior officers have repeatedly warned the government of the consequences. Just this week, Avon Police flagged up that they were at a tipping point.
They named two major areas where their force was too stretched to combat terror properly.
And other senior figures are warning further cuts are going to leave us exposed to an attack.
The police must be given the resources to do their job properly.
Stopping terrorism is a complex process.
Funding is needed in all sorts of different areas.
That means proper resources for neighbourhood cops, intelligence gathering and – should the worst happen – rapid armed response.
The Government is being given warnings from the people who know best.
It’s time they listened.