Police officers “can’t do everything”, politicians told

THE chairman of Essex Police Federation has called on the Government to decide what it wants police officers to do – “because we can’t do everything.”

Mark Smith (pictured) said “It would be nice for the Government to decide what they want out of policing. At the moment all they seem to be doing is cutting us. What do they want us to do? What do they not want us to do?”

Essex Police is having to save some £60 million in the period 2010-2016.

Mr Smith added: “Essex Police officers are running from job to job because we haven’t got the numbers. Officers are frustrated because we want to do the best job we can… but we can’t do everything. It is impossible.

“I am afraid that in the future, we are not going to be on every high street or in every village – we have not got the resources because of Government cuts.”

Mr Smith said he attends meetings locally in Essex where predominantly Conservative Party councillors express their worries about lack of police officers patrolling their district wards.

He added: “We have Conservative councillors locally in meetings saying what they want us to do and asking “why aren’t we doing this and that?”

“Well, it is the Tory led Coalition Government that have cut £60 million from Essex Police. Their party are making the cuts. It is too much. Too fast.”

Essex Police is already in the process of cutting budgets by £44million following Government cuts in the first Comprehensive Spending Review. It is reported that as much as a further £18 million may have to be saved between 2014 and 2016.

With the vast majority of police budgets paid out to officers and staff, it is feared hundreds more jobs could go in the force.

Mr Smith added: “I would like to see a senior officer from the force or the Police and Crime Commissioner Nick Alston tell people – like councillors at local meetings – the truth.

“The reality is that we have got to decide to not do certain things. And having officers on every high street might be one of the things that in the future we can’t do.”

According to the Office of National Statistics, in Essex Police there are now 3,311 police officers. This is down 20 officers in six months and 97 officers in 12 months.

Mr Alston said: “Essex Police has been through a series of significant changes recently, including a major organisational restructure and the appointment of a new Chief Constable.

“I hope it will be possible to deliver efficiency savings in 2014/15 and 2015/16 without any further major organisational change.

“We will also be aiming to minimise job losses among staff and preserve officer numbers as far as possible.”