Police 'won't prioritise phone thefts and shoplifting' with fewer bobbies on the beat as a result of Rachel Reeves' spending review, sources claim
Police will be forced to deprioritise crimes like shoplifting and mobile phone thefts as a result of Rachel Reeves ' spending review, it's been claimed.
The Chancellor's plans for a 2.3 per cent rise in police spending between 2023-24 and 2028-29 has dismayed police leaders, who insist the funding will leave a £1.2 billion shortfall.
Gavin Stephens, chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council, said the money would not be enough to cover existing staff costs and put Labour's pledge to recruit 13,000 extra neighbourhood police officers at risk.
He said budget shortfalls will require forces to make 'difficult choices' and some will 'struggle to make the numbers add up'.
Some have increasingly relied on borrowing, and the cost of debt is expected to rise by 49 per cent in the next three years.
Ms Reeves has denied police numbers will need to be reduced, telling LBC: 'I really don't accept there needs to be cuts.'
But now, a senior police force has spoken out to warn of the potential consequences for the enforcement of specific crimes.
'Every force will be different but in some areas it might be mobile phone theft, in other areas it will mean less time and fewer people focusing on shoplifting. That equation will have to be different,' the source told The Times.
Shoplifting is at unprecedented levels across the UK, with 516,971 offences in England and Wales last year.
Meanwhile, there were 99,000 snatch thefts of personal items such as mobile phones and luxury goods, the highest figure in over 20 years.
The Metropolitan Police recently announced it will be closing its Royal Parks policing team and removing 371 officers working in schools.
Details of how much funding each of the 43 forces in England and Wales will get will be decided in December.
So far 3,000 of the 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers pledged by the Government have been recruited so far, but police leaders now doubt how the remainder will be paid for.
Gavin Stephens said local forces have had no capital investment for 10 years.
The main capital investment has gone to big projects at the centre,' he said.
'We know that to invest in the technology that they've needed, they've had to sell buildings, increase their borrowing costs. We see those rising.
'That's not an effective way of dealing with the problem, which is why we strongly encourage more capital investment into policing.
'We think investment in artificial intelligence and new technology will help us be more effective in keeping our communities safe.
'We know that if that doesn't change, then some forces will find it hard to make the numbers add up.'
Mr Stephens said forces could need to cut back on tasks they carry out for other organisations, in the same way that they have already cut back on calls related to mental health.
'Policing is going to have to make some difficult choices as a consequence of this spending review,' he continued.
'Of course, at the top of our list, preventing crime, reducing crime, investigating crime, is always going to be the first thing that we do.
'But over the years, policing has attracted many tasks on behalf of other organisations that we will need to look very closely at, in the same way we've done with our response to mental health in recent years.
'So there are some tough choices ahead for forces.'
Details of how much funding each of the 43 forces in England and Wales will get will be decided in December.
So far 3,000 of the 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers pledged by the Government have been recruited so far, but police leaders now doubt how the remainder will be paid for.
One money-saving idea being put forward is a radical overhaul of the 43-force structure in England and Wales, to create fewer, larger forces.
'The last time we had a deliberate design of policing in England and Wales was in the early 1960s and for some time now, we've been advocating for significant change,' said Mr Stephens.
'There are forces that are finding it increasingly difficult to balance the budget, and we would say that more capable forces, bigger forces, are more likely to be financially sustainable in future.
'So we should look at all options to make sure that we can keep our community safe, not just from the threats that they face today, but the threats that we see coming down the track for the future.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'This year, we gave the police £1.2 billion boost – including £200 million to put 3,000 neighbourhood officers in post by spring. And this week, the Chancellor built on this with a real-terms increase of 2.3% for policing.
'Funding allocations for individual police forces will be confirmed in the police settlement and we will continue to work with the police to make the best use of this funding to put more officers into our neighbourhoods and keep our streets safe to support delivery of our Plan for Change.'
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