Sunday 4th December 2011 | 09:00
Yvette Cooper: It's shocking to learn that police forces are faced with a financial black hole of over half a billion pounds
Police forces across the country are faced with a financial black hole of over half a billion pounds, the equivalent to thousands more officers being lost
Figures obtained from police forces and from Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary show the current budget gap for forces in England and Wales stands at over £500 million.
Yvette Cooper MP, Labour's Shadow Home Secretary, said:
"It is shocking to learn that police forces across the country are faced with a financial black hole of over half a billion pounds.
"This proves the Home Secretary's cuts are too far too fast. We believe you can find efficiency savings, working with the police, over the course of a Parliament. But you can't just cut and run leaving communities to pay the price.
"The Home Secretary and Prime Minister are out of touch with how bad it is for police forces across the country. When the police funding allocations are published this month the Government need to urgently change course and stop undermining the fight against crime."