MPs ‘refusing to admit cuts have consequences’

MPs are refusing to admit that Government cuts to the police service are having a direct result on the number of officers patrolling the streets.

Conservative Party MP Nigel Evans took to Twitter this month to call on his local force to provide a greater level of police on the beat in rural areas across his constituency. While Witham MP Priti Patel last year criticised Essex Police over criminal incidents in her constituency town.

Essex Police Federation Chairman Mark Smith said: “Cuts have consequences. They were told it would happen and I still don’t think that they’re admitting that their cuts have had consequences.

“It’s time for the MPs to open their eyes and realise what’s happening, because they are having severe consequences on the people that vote for them, and now they’re finally starting to see. How long before they actually realise that they need to do something about it?

“I think what they need to do is start listening to the Police Federation, certainly locally. The Federations locally tend to have a fairly good working relationship, passing information to MPs. I’d like to see them start listening to those that are actually there, those that know, and those that have been doing it for a good number of years.

“The ‘Cuts Have Consequences’ campaign wasn’t scaremongering, it was done because we said what was going to happen – and it has happened.

“We can only stop the wheel from falling off so many times, sooner or later the wheel will fall off.

“But the Government and certainly the press as well are very good at blaming the police whenever anything goes wrong, so I think the police will probably be the scapegoat again. What really needs to happen is for the public to wake up and stop voting for MPs that are voting for the cuts.

“The MPs aren’t listening and they should be the representative of the public, so the public are the only ones who can stop it. When they realise they’re losing votes, that seems to be when they start listening.”