Are Cuts To The Police Service Immoral?

[Gromit]

// The expected budget cuts come after a reduction of 20% since 2011 in the amount spent by the Home Office on the police.

After 2015/16, all forces are bracing themselves for further cuts amounting to hundreds of millions of pounds.

The exact level of savings required will depend on the outcome of the general election.

Some PCCs have produced forecasts of budget cuts to 2019, others until 2020, among them:

Kent - £61m budget cut over the next four years

South Yorkshire - £49m between 2016/17 and 2019/20

Merseyside - £47.5m between 2016/17 and 2018/19

Thames Valley - £33m between 2016/17 and 2017/18

In Cumbria, under the PCC's "change programme" to deliver savings of £10m by 2019, the force will be "resolving some issues to the satisfaction of callers without deploying an officer to the scene".

Proposals from Hampshire's PCC, Simon Hayes, say that operational policing "can no longer be ring-fenced" and that front-line services "need to be reduced to meet the financial budget". //

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31771456

[anotheoldgit]

Why should you bother you hate the police don't you?

[dannyk13]

In a word, Yes

[Baldric]

Here's the biggest waste of money (and space) in Kent

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2614100/Diva-crime-tsar-secretly-spends-200k-office-radio-studio-police-HQ-perfectly-good-office-two-miles-away.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2634904/Its-strange-job-theres-no-job-description-says-Kents-85-000-year-Police-Crime-Commissioner-list-duties-doesnt-know-types-crime-bought-special-van-called-Ann-Force-1.html

[dannyk13]

Baldric, Crime Commissioners are not members of the police service and IMO are a waste of both time and money.

[boxtops]

I wouldn't call it immoral. All budgets are cut annually - health, education, you name it.

[chaptazbru2]

Yes, I think it's immoral. I have lived in my present house for thirty years and when I first moved in we used to have a lovely beat copper who walked around the streets keeping an eye on things. It made me feel safe. I wish they'd bring the beat copper back personally.

[Svejk]

I expect there are eye-watering amounts of money wasted by the police. No doubt, when asked to cut back, they'll deliberately hit front-line services.

[dunnitall]

I think it's short sighted and appalling to cut the budget, in fact for any essential services they should give them a blank cheque! We need an efficient police force, manned to the hilt because crime rarely IMO falls and with the way this country is going it's getting out of hand. I have a little insight into how bad things have got and if the public actually knew, there would be a hue and cry over the dire state of affairs believe me.

[Baldric]

Hi Danny, yes I'm aware of that, I just think that woman needs as much publicity as possible so hopefully she won't get in again!

[whirlyhurly]

My opinion is that the government should make policing a top priority,and always keep the police happy. Even if to some folk they are a "necessary evil".

[Old_Geezer]

One wonders how past generations managed to cover the services they required whilst ours seemingly can not. That's what needs investigation. Meanwhile if they really have screwed up and there isn't enough money in the pot then whatever was cut could be called an immoral act. But one needs to cut one's coat according to one's cloth. I reckon I pay enough in tax to expect the services to be provided as needed.

[dunnitall]

Agree OG, but the front line bods' hands are tied, too much work, not enough staff and now cutting back even further, how the hellll are they going to cope from this point on?

[Old_Geezer]

They'll investigate even fewer crimes, maybe concentrate even more on the 'low hanging fruit' to get the conviction rate up.

[dunnitall]

You're as cynical as I am OG lol, but you'd be very surprised at how bad things are even now and that's before the cuts....

[ludwig]

No. Immoral is a silly word to use.

[Gromit]

// ..under the PCC's "change programme" the force will be "resolving some issues to the satisfaction of callers without deploying an officer to the scene". //

In effect, they are deciding some crimes are not worth the effort of investigating. It might be useful if they told us what they are then we won't be wasting police time by trying to repirt them.

Maggie and Tony both kept the police happy while they were in office. It is probably a mistake to not to.

[New Judge]

In common with almost all public services, waste and inefficiency in the police service is phenomenal. The costs of Police and Crime Commissioners must be added to this as they are a complete waste of time and space.

The reason the service costs more to run now is down to red tape which, despite an increase in the use of out-of-court disposals, keeps trained police officers in the nick filling in forms rather than being on the street catching miscreants. And that's the fault of successive governments.

Cut the waste and far less cash will be needed.

[DaisyNonna]

The police force here is a figment of someone's imagination

[askyourgran]

This is not going to enhance the chance of catching the criminals or dealing with them appropriately, Never did I expect our Police station operating between 9-5pm, and now from the local Starbucks. Since Our Police and Crime commissioner for West Yorkshire was elected he has added a few extra notes to our Council tax, having been allowed about £6m to date for extra Police and PCSOs. Now that is a waste of money - get rid of the Police Commissioner and save £100.000, then let the old system continue.