London: One of Britain's most senior police officers warned yesterday of a reduction in the number of police patrolling the streets in the wake of the government's public sector spending cuts.
"Sadly we will lose people," Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, said. He suggested that departmental cuts of 25 per cent signalled in the budget would mean significantly fewer police on the streets despite the popularity of bobbies on the beat.
In an interview for BBC radio's Today programme, Sir Hugh said: "Some services will have to be reduced I think I am very clear on that. Our role is to make sure they are the less critical ones, the nice-to-do things rather than the essential-to-do things."
Police chiefs have repeatedly cautioned that backroom staff are often more effective at tackling crime. Sir Hugh's remarks are the first stark acknowledgement by a senior officer of the likelihood of a reduction in frontline policing since the budget.
The policing minister, Nick Herbert, said "extensive cuts" to the police budget were inevitable but maintained that frontline posts should be protected.
"We do look to police chiefs to prioritise and protect the front line... Of course, Sir Hugh is also right that there are other services which must be protected too as part of the front line. But what we really want to see is the inefficiencies driven out, we do want to see a serious attack now on the costs."
Last week, Colin Talbot, professor of public policy and management at Manchester Business School, estimated that a 25 per cent cut in the Home Office budget would involve the loss of 35,000 police officers, 4,000 community officers and nearly 20,000 police administration staff.
