Up to 40,000 frontline police jobs could be axed if suggested government cuts of 25 percent go ahead, the Police Federation warned Friday.
 |
| Up to 40,000 frontline police jobs could be axed if suggested government cuts of 25 percent go ahead, the Police Federation has warned. |
The body, which represents officers in England and Wales, said such a spending reduction would inevitably lead to an increase in crime.
Police Federation chairman Paul McKeever said it would be "Christmas for criminals" and urged the government to "listen and see sense".
"We expect the Home Secretary to wake up to the reality that there are going to be real consequences in the future if these cuts are made," he said.
"The reality has come. The cuts are real. They are substantial and it can\'t but have a detrimental effect on the service we provide."
His comments come as Hampshire Constabulary Friday announced plans to shed 1,400 posts -- a fifth of its workforce. Kent police also recently unveiled proposals to cut 1,500 jobs.
The full scale of the force\'s cuts will be revealed in the government\'s spending review in October but is widely expected to amount to 25 percent.
Criminal Justice Minister Nick Herbert previously said the 25-percent figure cited by Police Federation chiefs was speculation and urged them "not to frighten the public".
But Simon Reed, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said if the budget decrease was as high as feared, it would "devastate the police service".
"We\'ve done a survey of our branch boards around England and Wales and what they\'re telling us is quite bleak," he said.
"Forces will lose potentially hundreds of officers and nationwide that could be anything up to 40,000 officers within the next two, three or four years."
