Police budget cuts ‘exposing public to risks from terrorists and paedophiles’ - report
1 min read
Cuts to the police budget are exposing the public to risks from terrorism and paedophiles, a leaked document has revealed.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council warned ministers must find £440m in next month’s Budget to avoid putting the safety of the public at risk.
The Council also said without the extra funding the “legitimacy of policing” will be under threat, according the The Sunday Times.
And it said police have been forced into a “weakened position” over terrorism because of the real-terms funding freeze.
The NPCC said without the funding forces could lose 6,000 officers and be forced to accept “higher risk for communities” and “a reduction in the service’s resilience to cope with major emergencies”.
The document said the police are unable to cope with the 42% rise in sex offenders being treated in communities.
Shadow Policing Minister Louise Haigh said: “You simply cannot protect the public on the cheap. The government’s real-terms funding cuts have left the public at risk, and they need to see urgent investment at the budget, or communities will be exposed."
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