2012 Olympics police budget cuts 'a recipe for disaster'

Police privately fear ministers have taken a major risk in planning savings on their £600m safety and security budget for the games.

With London in a heightened state of terror alert, the games pose unprecedented difficulties for disenchanted officers, the Police Federation says.

Officers already demoralised by controversial 20% cuts to police funding may be unwilling to relocate temporarily to support the security effort, one source said.

"News that there will be even less money available could not have been worse timed," he added. "Officers largely believe it's a recipe for disaster."

Police leaders are angry the Government is refusing to budget for policing "peripheral" events surrounding the games.

Local forces will be left to foot the bill for providing security for street parties and Olympic training venues, John Coppen, the federation chairman for Olympics policing, said.

"The last major event which is even comparable in terms of scale was the miners' strike," he added.

"But policing has changed such a lot since then. Back then officers were willing to sleep on airplane hangar floors because it was such an emergency.

"But now the police service is nearly 40% female and you cannot get away from the fact that some of those people will have different commitments, dependants who rely on them."

Officers could be offered just £15 extra a shift to relocate and will be told to stay in student accommodation to police the event.

"The appetite for police to work under such conditions is diminishing," he added.

Ministers believe savings are possible without creating additional risk.

Police minister Nick Herbert told MPs in a written ministerial statement last December: "At this stage, with almost two years before the games begin, we estimate that it should be possible to deliver the core cross-government safety and security programme for about £475m."

Fears over the Olympics strategy comes amid growing anger at the Government's police spending cuts.

Theresa May refused to relent on the policy as she was accused of betraying police and the public yesterday.

Her annual keynote speech to police leaders from across the country was met with stony silence after she said it was "not my job" to tell them what they wanted to hear.

David Rathband, the Pc blinded by killer Raoul Moat, joined the wave of discontent over pay and conditions as he asked her if she thought his £35,000 wage packet was too much.