Even thinner blue line

Date published: 19 December 2014


CONCERNS have been raised after it was revealed a further £28m will be axed from the police budget next year.

The devastating cuts mean Greater Manchester Police has to find savings of £157m over the next three years. It now faces a £70m black hole in the budget.

Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd said: “It is unacceptable and disappointing that ordinary, hard-working people are once again bearing the brunt of these irresponsible funding cuts.

“The message to central government is loud and clear — we cannot cope with more cuts.”

Nearly £12m of the money is being clawed back to pay for the Independent Police Complaints Commission, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and the City of London police. It will also fund the direct entry scheme allowing people to join the police at senior rank without walking the beat.

Mr Lloyd added: “London needs to think again and listen to the people of Oldham and Greater Manchester as a whole. We are the real victims of these spending cuts.”

So far, 1,500 GMP officers have gone as a result of the cuts with officer numbers falling by around 350 every year.

Chief Superintendent Caroline Ball, head of GMP’s Oldham, Tameside and Stockport divisions, said the full effect of the cuts would not be clear until after the general election next year.

Chief Supt Ball added: “Other public services have had cuts of up to 25 per cent and that would be as bad as it could get but until next year we won’t know.

“We’ve worked closely with the council for many years. We’re trying to find new ways of working and cutting out bureaucracy and duplicity across Greater Manchester.

“Work is already ongoing with other organisations to ensure we can maintain the level of service the public demands regardless of any cuts we may face.”

Other announcements include the top-slicing of the budget to fund the Police Special Grant — a pot of money police can apply for to pay for unforeseen incidents and events such as mass protest or public disorder.
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