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Five police forces face cuts struggle - watchdog Neighbourhood policing risks being 'eroded', HMIC warns
(about 1 hour later)
Five forces will struggle to cope with future budget cuts, the police watchdog in England and Wales has warned. Neighbourhood policing risks being "eroded" because of budget cuts, the police watchdog for England and Wales has warned.
HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) named the forces as West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Bedfordshire. HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) said neighbourhood officers were doing duties that could have a "detrimental effect" on crime prevention work.
HMIC also said other forces risked stretching crime prevention units after scaling back neighbourhood policing. Some neighbourhood teams were staffed by just community support officers.
The HMIC report largely praised police forces for absorbing significant budget cuts that had already been made. The HMIC report said five forces would find it especially difficult to cope with further cuts after 2015.
These were Bedfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire.
'Good' response
The HMIC report into police budgets largely praised police forces for absorbing significant cuts that had already been made.
These are expected to total a 20% cut in budgets by 2015 as the government reduces spending.These are expected to total a 20% cut in budgets by 2015 as the government reduces spending.
HM Inspector of Constabulary, Zoe Billingham, said there had been a "good" response overall to the financial situation but there was "considerable variation in the approaches taken by forces".HM Inspector of Constabulary, Zoe Billingham, said there had been a "good" response overall to the financial situation but there was "considerable variation in the approaches taken by forces".
Balance books
She said: "In some cases this leaves us with concerns about how some forces will manage in the face of further cuts.She said: "In some cases this leaves us with concerns about how some forces will manage in the face of further cuts.
"We also have some concerns that neighbourhood policing risks being eroded as forces change how they deliver local policing.""We also have some concerns that neighbourhood policing risks being eroded as forces change how they deliver local policing."
Broadening the remit of neighbourhood policing would have a "potentially detrimental effect" on crime prevention work and "impair" the level of service the public received, the report added.
Pace of change
The report said that West Yorkshire Police had left "large elements of its operation untouched" and South Yorkshire Police had not "achieved savings seen elsewhere".The report said that West Yorkshire Police had left "large elements of its operation untouched" and South Yorkshire Police had not "achieved savings seen elsewhere".
While Northamptonshire Police's approaches to the spending review had been "innovative", it had "struggled to maintain its performance levels".While Northamptonshire Police's approaches to the spending review had been "innovative", it had "struggled to maintain its performance levels".
Lincolnshire Police and Bedfordshire Police had also "responded well" but as small forces they might have "limited opportunities to reduce costs further", the report said. Lincolnshire Police and Bedfordshire Police had also "responded well" but as smaller forces they might have "limited opportunities to reduce costs further", the report said.
HMIC said most forces planned to balance their books by the end of the spending review period. HMIC said most forces planned to balance their books by the end of the spending review period, while working to make 31,600 staff reductions by March 2015.
They were increasing the proportion of their workforce on the front line, while working to make 31,600 staff reductions by March 2015. The inspectorate said that police forces had generally responded well to the challenge of making savings, with crime levels down and victim satisfaction up.
Broadening the remit of neighbourhood policing would have a "potentially detrimental effect" on crime prevention work and "impair" the level of service the public received, the report added. It said forces planned to have 6,600 fewer officers working on front-line duties, but the number of front-line officers as a proportion of the workforce was forecast to increase.
The watchdog said it was also "deeply disappointed" with the pace of change on collaboration between forces which would help them be more efficient.
However, Chief Inspector of Constabulary Tom Winsor said some forces were operating so closely that it was akin to "merger by osmosis".
"West Mercia and Warwickshire are operating very, very close to a single force," he said.