The Government must stick to its pledge to protect police budgets, says the national chairman of the Police Federation.
Steve White was speaking after yesterday’s Spring Budget in which Chancellor Philip Hammond outlined the need to better protect public services.
"With no specific mention of emergency service finances, we expect the Government to uphold its promise to protect police budgets,” says the chairman.
“Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn made the point today that the economy is not working for neighbourhoods due to the falling number of police officers. Our officers are stretched beyond reasonable capacity, and we will continue to push this fact back to Government. In order to protect the public, the police service must have the right investment.”
Last week the latest Police Effectiveness, Efficiency and Legitimacy (PEEL) report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) found that forces are ‘struggling to respond to increasing and ever-changing levels of demand’, with Bedfordshire receiving an ‘inadequate’ rating.
Steve added: “We know public service workers across the board are stretched beyond their limits, and often police are called in as a last resort to help pick up the pieces.
“Any investment in the areas of social care, public sector and healthcare are positive steps in the right direction, not just for the service it is directed to, but all those who feed into it, including the police. However, it remains to be seen if the extra £2 billion for social care over next three years, and other investments announced, will be enough to ease the pressure.”
