Police praised after saving £35m

CHESHIRE Police has been praised after making £35m worth of savings since 2010.
Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary has found that Cheshire Constabulary has made “good progress in saving money and has made strenous efforts to make savings in areas that limit the impact on frontline policing.”
John Dwyer, Police & Crime Commissioner for Cheshire said: “I have worked hard to make sure that Cheshire Constabulary is on track to meet the financial challenges and the root and branch review that I promised as part of my pre-election manifesto is paying off. £35m savings have been made since 2010.
“The new Chief Constable Simon Byrne and I have increased the pace in looking at ways to further reduce costs and maintain the police officers and staff we have directly working in our communities. Whilst these continue to be tough times we are working to ensure the public receive a good policing service when they need it.”
The “Responding to Austerity” report also says that the constabulary has a proven track record of meeting financial challenges, while at the same time delivering high-quality community policing.
Dwyer added: “I will hold the new Chief Constable to account on behalf of the people of Cheshire to continue to ensure that they deliver the best value policing. People should feel reassured by this report which also found that the strong focus on reducing non-pay costs and protecting frontline budgets means that the Constabulary has made less of its savings from cutting staff than other forces.”