Police cuts will push up crime in Westcountry – watchdog
Crime in Devon and Cornwall could rise by six per cent as the force axes one-in-five of its police officers over the next four years, new research suggests.
Devon and Cornwall Police is to shed 20 per cent of its officers – 700 from a high of 3,550 last March – to meet Government imposed savings of nearly £50 million by 2015. Some 500 police staff posts are also being slashed.
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Policeman
But research issued along with a report from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary indicated that could result in a six per cent increase in offences, with crime rising by three per cent for every 10 per cent of officers lost. PC David James, secretary of the federation in Devon and Cornwall, said a rise in crime was "almost inevitable" as the force returned to officer numbers last seen nearly 30 years ago.
"Last year's six per cent fall in crime in Devon and Cornwall testifies to the extremely hard work of the thin blue line, with every frontline officer, particularly those officers working 24/7, defending the public from criminality of every type," he said.
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"Alas the HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) report confirms our worst fears. Cuts being implemented by this Government will turn the clock back a decade by reducing police officers and police staff by more than 34,000 nationally by 2015.
"The effect in Devon and Cornwall will be to reduce police officer numbers to 2,810, a level last seen in the early 1980s.
"It will also mean that in 2015 we will have the lowest police officer to head of population ratio in England and Wales. It will change the way we police here, leading to an almost inevitable rise in crime as the population continues to increase and police numbers fall."
He added: "The headlong flight to save money, combined with too much endless tinkering and not enough thoughtful examination, will lead to a poorer service."
The HMIC report – Adapting to Austerity – detailed police officer job losses of 16,200 across the 43 forces in England and Wales as part of Government cuts.
Up to 1,800 community support officers and 16,100 police staff will also go as part of an overall reduction of 14 per cent.
Inspectors said protecting frontline policing will be "very challenging" over the next 18 months, adding: "Forces will have to transform their efficiency if they are to protect frontline services."
To cope with the massive reduction in budget, Devon and Cornwall has already moved to a new policing structure.
Overall numbers of constables working on response – those who deal with emergencies – have been reduced from 1,340 to 776.
Some 250 of those have been moved into "local policing", nearly doubling their number, alongside 350 police community support officers. Another 270 are being moved into CID, boosting their strength to 594.
Inspectors, who made an announced visit in January this year, said the force showed a "clear understanding of the financial challenge facing them" and had developed an ambitious change programme to address it.
Chief Constable Stephen Otter said the restructuring was "probably the most fundamental change to policing in Devon and Cornwall in decades".
But he said it was necessary "to ensure we continue to give the public the best possible policing service".
He said: "There is no doubt we face challenging times in terms of financial pressure, maintaining our high performance across many areas and ensuring our public stay confident in their local police, but we have been preparing for this for the last three years.
"This report highlights that the constabulary and the authority are making tough, but productive decisions to make sure the public see as little impact as possible on the service they get from their police.
"The cost of our workforce per head of population is already one of the lowest in country, but we are introducing new ways of working as we want to reach as many people and communities as possible and provide the public with a policing service they would expect, despite the lessening resources we have."
Comments
by Cadorpendry
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 2:52PM
“2013 ONE YEAR LATER....So, did the fall in officer numbers increase crime...surprise, surprise....NO!
Now with that in mind perhaps a few more can be let go and the money spent on community projects instead, sports acadamies, boxing clubs etc.Whose going to man these projects you scream at me! The answer, the same people who man the underfunded community projects already...the unpaid and unsung volunteers!”
by Cadorpendry
Tuesday, January 08 2013, 2:49PM
“2013 ONE YEAR LATER....So, did the fall in officer numbers increase crime...surprise, suprise....NO!
Now with that in mind perhaps a few more can be let go and the money spent on community projects instead, sports acadamies, boxing clubs etc.Whose going to man these projects you scream at me! The answer, the same people who man the underfunded community projects already...the unpaid and unsung volunteers!”
by Charlespk
Monday, July 25 2011, 3:56PM
“@Devongeek . . . "View all comments"
@bcawston
http://tinyurl.com/3rrqyx5”
by nick113
Monday, July 25 2011, 3:55PM
“@Devongeek. Try scrolling down and click "View all comments".”
by Devongeek
Monday, July 25 2011, 3:35PM
“Why does it say 12 comments when there are only five? Is this as a result of the same cuts... or have the trolls been at work, and hidden posts still being counted?
It strikes me that there must also have been a massive increase in the numbers of coppers who work out of police stations in north Devon in recent years. Just the other day I counted eleven liveried police vehicles at Bideford police station - eleven!
I bet that amounted to 22 bums on seats in the canteen...”
by bcawston
Monday, July 25 2011, 2:04PM
“Wheres the crime anyway, this is west country. there aint no ****** crime here be.”
by Charlespk
Monday, July 25 2011, 12:53PM
“"So if a 10% reduction in police numbers increases crime by 3%, then a 100% reduction in police numbers would only result in a 30% increase in crime? Maybe what this shows is that much police activity has nothing to do with preventing crime." . . by nick113 Sunday, July 24 2011, 11:06AM.
http://tinyurl.com/26ocb7c”
by Cadorpendry
Monday, July 25 2011, 11:12AM
“More scaremongering from a largely discredited, dishonorable and corrupt police force, who last year came last in the National survey. A force which is more interested in looking after its own interests than that of the Great British Public. It is also fair to say that if the majority of these miscreants are let go, crime will in fact fall in the majority of cases. More incidents have been caused by police intervention than not. An example last month; our team observed some youths being ejected from a night club for rowdy behaviour. The incident was professionaly managed by the door supervisors, tempers calmed and everyone was going seperate ways. Unfortunately the police arrived and immediately started to inflame the situation, as it was clear they wanted a 'violent arrest' and in the end, by their inept handling, caused a major incident. Over the last 5 years many of these officers visit various local neighbourhood teams actually touting for work, as there is not enough for them on their own patches. In the final analysis we do not need these overpaid amateurs and their lies about crime figures rising. Cador Pendry”
by quinntonne
Sunday, July 24 2011, 8:37PM
“I am very disappointed that this newspaper are reporting this as fact when all they are doing is acting as the mouthpiece for the scaremongers who would have you believe that crime is linked directly to police officer numbers. I'd like to know who did or commissioned the "research" mentioned in this article. It says that the research was "issued" along with a report by HMIC but doesn't make it clear whether the research was done by the inspectorate or not. ( I was not aware that the HMIC conducted research). I suspect that the research was more likely to be done by the police federation whose members have a vested interest. PC David James police federation "spokesman" (shop steward) had plenty to say didn't he? First he had no hesitation in claiming that crime would almost inevitably rise, then he claimed that the reduction in crime was due to officers working 24/7 on some thin blue line ? That must mean that the overtime bill was horrendous, also that there are a whole swathe of devonians just waiting for the police to turn their backs before turning from law abiding citizens into crtiminals. (Nice). He then went on to reiterate that there would be an "almost Inevitable" rise in crime. Irresponsible scaremongering at it's worst. But this paper is also as irresponsible to allow itself to be used or duped into reporting this. It is a political statement dressed up as news and should be recognized as such before we start panicking about being murdered in our beds.”
by quinntonne
Sunday, July 24 2011, 8:34PM
“@josdave. Where are your facts? Oh, of course you don't have any do you. The deterrent effect is for law abiding citizens only, as criminals are certainly not deterred by the risk of getting caught. FACT: Saying "any fool can work that out" does not turn your rant into a fact. Facts are based on crime figures and detection rates compared to clear up rates and convictions, not your emotions and what your mate said down the pub (Luckily). Saying I'm wrong does not make me wrong the same as saying I'm a fool does not make you any cleverer. If you were to base me being wrong on any facts that you could quote to me I may admit that I am mistaken and agree with you. But you haven't done that have you ? If you would like to read and compare the FACTS based on the home office figures then you may come to a different conclusion or even the same conclusion. But then I could take you more seriously. Opinions are like backsides, everybody has one and most of them stink. We cannot base public funding and the Criminal Justice system on anything other than facts. Any fool can ork that out? Surely ?”