Cheshire Constabulary bosses have welcomed the Government’s announcement that there will be no cuts to police budgets in England and Wales.
Delivering the Autumn Statement and first comprehensive Spending Review since 2010 in the House of Commons today, Chancellor George Osborne declared that now is not the time for police cuts.
Rather, he said, it is time to ‘back our police and give them the tools to do the job’.
The Government had been expected to slash their budgets and Mr Osborne admitted he had representations they should be cut by up to 10 per cent.
'Delighted'
Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire John Dwyer said he was ‘delighted’ by the u-turn, but cautioned that the force needs to ‘look at the detail’ of what it means for them when the Government grant to Cheshire is announced in the coming weeks.
“But following five years of budget reductions, I’m absolutely delighted that the Chancellor has listened to what I and my colleagues have been saying to him privately over the last few weeks,” Mr Dwyer said.
“The headline message appears to be no real terms cuts to policing budgets, and a major increase in funding for counter-terrorism, which – given recent events and our own experiences over the last few years – is very welcome.”
Hailing it ‘very, very welcome news’, Chief Constable Simon Byrne said low levels of crime, improving detection rates and an ‘outstanding’ rating from police watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary show how Cheshire police have been able to deliver, ‘despite the financial challenges we have faced’.
City of Chester MP Chris Matheson said pressure from the public, police and Labour has forced George Osborne to ‘think again’ about the cuts.
“You cannot cut corners on the safety and security of the British people and this U-turn by the government is welcomed in Chester where our police force is already being stretched under the weight of the cuts made to the service since 2010,” Mr Matheson added.
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