CHESHIRE’S police chiefs have given a cautious welcome to chancellor George Osborne’s announcement on the government’s comprehensive spending review.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer said he was delighted that the chancellor appears to have listened to what he and colleagues had been saying and chief constable Simon Byrne added he was pleased that policing was to be protected from further reductions.
But both stressed that they would have to await the details of how the announcement would effect Cheshire.
Mr Dwyer said: “We need to look at the detail of what this announcement means for the Constabulary – and this we won’t know for a few weeks until the government grant to Cheshire is announced.
“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.
“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.
“As a Constabulary, we have clear plans in place to protect and if possible enhance frontline policing, and this was independently verified by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, the police watchdog, in their recent ‘outstanding’ judgement.
“This settlement hopefully enables us to build on this.”
The chief constable said: “I am enormously proud of the work my officers do. Every day, I receive feedback from victims of crime highlighting the difference that our officers and staff make to their lives. And the fact that crime is at its lowest level in a generation, with improving detection rates, and an ‘outstanding’ rating from HMIC, shows how Cheshire Police has been able to deliver despite the financial challenges we have faced.
“So the news today that it appears that policing is to be protected from further reductions is very, very welcome news, as is the increase in counter-terrorism funding, given recent events.
We will now await the detail from the Home Office.”
