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Surrey's police chief today accused ministers of “eroding” his ability to protect the public because of a government decision which will force him to cut 50 jobs — including 35 frontline officers — this year.
A capping edict from the Department for Communities and Local Government means Surrey will have to slash £1.6 million from its budget.
This also means new bills will have to be sent to every council taxpayer in the county at a cost of £1.2 million — eating up virtually all of the planned saving.
Ministers insist the cap is necessary to protect Surrey residents from an excessive increase in the policing precept that makes up part of their annual council tax levy.
Surrey Police Authority chairman Peter Williams described the cut as “galling”, while Chief Constable Mark Rowley warned that “key operational” jobs would be lost.
He said: “These cuts will undermine the resilience of the policing service and result in officers being pulled from visible frontline duties to fulfil these specialist roles.
“A reduction in our budget every year can only result in an erosion of the level of service that Surrey Police will be able to provide.”
The Home Office said Surrey's reduced budget of £197.2 million, while lower than the £198.8 million the force wanted, was still £6 million up on the amount it had last year.
But Mr Rowley said the large number of criminals coming into Surrey from London and elsewhere meant the original budget was justified and said the force would be mounting a legal challenge in a bid to halt cuts.
Surrey Police Authority said it would back the legal challenge and the cap would save the average Band D council taxpayer just 6p a week.
A Home Office spokeswoman insisted the capping should not harm frontline policing.
Reader views (6)
Perhaps the Chief Constable of Surrey can redeploy those officers he has hiding behind lamposts and other street furniture with speed guns claiming to be enforcing speed restrictions as part of the Counties road safety campaign/revenue generation, and putting therm where they need to be to reduce crime and reassure public safety.
- Pat, South of England, 27/05/2009 21:33
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Its rule by "the government you can afford" and until the tax rate is 100% you can still afford to pay more.
- Trunk, US, 27/05/2009 21:07
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No more Nu Labor! No more soft on crime!
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London, 27/05/2009 17:53
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What I wonder are "key operational jobs"? Does anyone remember the "bobby on the beat"? Haven't seen one for years. And my "local" Police Station is now operated on a part-time basis by civilian volunteers.
- Jb, London, 27/05/2009 17:03
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Try culling the overpaid top of this ineffective Police Force.
I doubt if anyone would notice 35 frontline being taken out, as they're never seen in action anyway.
- Cap, London, 27/05/2009 16:49
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Didn't the CC of Essex posit some solutions the other day?There is another story around today about the cost of the National Police Improvement Agency, some ridiculous amount of money for what was once a national overseer of police training which has morphed at huge expense into something else. The money spent there could be put into policing. Get rid of PCSOs - more money available. Prioritise training and stop the huge amount spent of politically correct nonsense such as diversity training. Trim the fat that exists in every force, diversity units,policy units (many often duplicating work carried out elsewhere), reduce the management structure at the top - especially in the Met - just how many commissioners, deputy commissioners, assistant commissioners, deputy assistant commissioners and commanders does a force need? The governments infernal national targets also have a local cost to each force as does the bureacracy for prisoner processing and case paper preparation. Then there's the cost of policing things like Notting Hill Carnival, Climate Camps, Tamils in the square and all the other rubbish. Cyber courts? Why? Just make the existing ones work properly and stop the CPS obstructing justice. How much is spent on translators and publications in 30 different languages. There are far too many officers in departments dealing with everything and anything but policing. There - Money to be saved and diverted to frontline services everywhere.
- Ranter, Maidstone, UK, 27/05/2009 16:46
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