ACPO comment on CSR announcement

ACPO lead on finance and resources, Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell, said:

“The scale of the cuts announced today, to come into force over the next five years, will have a significant impact on policing across the country. Although an overall budget for the police service was announced today, each individual police force will be affected differently and it will be some weeks before each force is informed of its own settlement.

“The cumulative effects of cutting police budgets year on year will translate into reductions in police officers and staff, in each force depending on financial circumstances and the particular division between local and central funding through which the force is funded. It is too soon to say with confidence what these add up to, but a centrally funded annual budget for policing of £9.7bn dropping to £8.5bn by 2014-15 indicates a significant challenge for the service. There will be a need for honest conversations between politicians, the public and the police about how policing meets this challenge.

“It is important that the public understand the complete commitment across the police service to keep them safe. In every aspect of policing the whole service will work to deliver security and safety for the public against the reduced level of resources. Chiefs have been planning for a tight funding environment for some time and will continue to ruthlessly drive out any inefficiencies within their force and to collaborate with others so that wherever possible frontline policing is protected.”

For more information please contact:

ACPO Press Office
Association of Chief Police Officers
e: press.office@acpo.pnn.police.uk