Force well prepared for short-term cuts, says SYP Chief
Wednesday, 20 October, 2010
South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes reiterated today that the Force was well prepared to deal with the age of austerity imposed by the coalition government.
The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced this afternoon that police spending would fall by four per cent each year over the next four years.
However, there was no mention as to whether this figure took account of inflation.
Responding to news of the Comprehensive Spending Review, CC Hughes said: "This level of reduced central government funding is in line with our expectations and our planning has been appropriate and timely.
"We cannot say how many police officer or civilian staff posts we will lose over the next four years but there is no doubt that regardless of where jobs are lost from, front line effectiveness will be reduced.
"Numbers do not reflect the potential change in policing services," continued CC Hughes. "South Yorkshire Police has prepared for this moment for some years. We have increased our reserves and already cut a number of non-operational posts.
"We are confident that service to the public will not necessarily deteriorate over the next two years, but beyond that I'm in no doubt that the many different front lines of policing will be affected."
