Policing Pledge scrapped as force faces cuts

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) looks set to be affected by a decision made today (29 June 2010) by Home Secretary Theresa May to scrap a policy by the previous Labour Government to have police working on the street 80% of their time.

All other targets outlined in the Policing Pledge, such as 15-minute minimum response times, which relied on increasing public confidence in the police, have also been axed.

Ms May said: "I know that some officers like the Policing Pledge. And some, I'm sure, like the comfort of knowing they have ticked boxes. But targets don't fight crime; targets hinder the fight against crime. In scrapping the confidence target and the policing pledge, I couldn't be any clearer about your mission. It isn't a 30-point plan; it is to cut crime: no more, and no less."

She also warned that cuts to the Police will be “big and tough” upon addressing the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in Manchester.

Ms May said: "We are not talking about a spending freeze, or a reduction of 1% or 2%. The cuts will be big; they will be tough to achieve; and cuts will fall on the police as they will on other public services."

ACPO president, Sir Hugh Orde, warned that job cuts were inevitable: “With 83% of the police budget being people, sadly we will lose people in my prediction over the next few years,” he said. “Some services will have to be reduced - I think I am very clear on that.”