Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley and the head of the National Crime Agency say they will face ‘stark choices’ if Rachel Reeves wields the axe next week
Police will have to “deprioritise” some crimes if their budgets are slashed, the UK’s top officers have warned Keir Starmer.
In a letter to the PM, police chiefs including the head of the Met Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA) said forces will face “stark choices”. It comes amid behind-the-scenes wrangling ahead of Rachel Reeves ‘ much-anticipated spending review next week, with Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pushing for more cash.
Met Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley joined Gavin Stephens, head of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and Graeme Biggar, who leads the National Crime Agency (NCA), in raising the alarm. They said their workforces will shrink if pay pressures and inflation are not taken into account – with “far reaching” consequences.
In a letter seen by The Times they wrote: “We understand that the Treasury [is] seeking to finalise departmental budget allocations this week and that the negotiations between the Home Office and the Treasury are going poorly.
“We are deeply concerned that the settlement for policing and the (NCA), without additional investment, risks a retrenchment to what we saw under austerity. This would have far-reaching consequences.
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“Policing and the NCA have seen a sustained period where income has not kept pace with demand. Often, this has been masked by attempts to defer costs in the hope of more income in future, but that now leaves policing with very limited room for manoeuvre.
“A settlement that fails to address our inflation and pay pressures flat would entail stark choices about which crimes we no longer prioritise. The policing and NCA workforce would also shrink each year.”
Ms Cooper told the Home Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday that she wants to plough more money into policing. She said: “Clearly, we will always want more investment around policing and meeting the challenges they face.”
On Wednesday morning Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander denied that some of her Cabinet colleagues are involved in a spat over police funding. Asked about negotiations between the Treasury and the Home Office. she told Times Radio: “I know that the Chancellor, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, they are working hand-in-glove with the Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.”
Responding to the suggestion they were “having a row”, she said: “I’m not privy to any of those conversations. All that I’ve seen is a really collegiate atmosphere around the Cabinet table on the part of every single Cabinet member that we can start to deliver on our plan for change, we can get the economy firing on all cylinders, that we recruit those extra police officers – which was a big commitment at the election – that we can invest in the NHS, we can invest in our public transport in terms of the announcement that we are making today.”