Police forced to fight cuts over crime
Thu 15th Apr 2010
It is welcome news that crime has dropped significantly in Lothian and Borders, with violence, dishonesty and vandalism all down in the last year, however, with ongoing Local and Scottish budget cuts this progress is now under threat.
Figures released yesterday revealed 6,000 fewer crimes in total.
Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Allen said: "An 8.3 per cent drop in overall crime figures means that less people were victims of crime last year. Fewer became the victims of anti-social behaviour and there was a drop in the number subjected to violent attacks. This is a clear indication that our prevention strategy - where we work with others to prevent crime happening and divert people from a life of anti-social and unlawful behaviour - is making a difference. There has been a marked decrease in the figures for attempted murders and serious assaults. The quantities of Class A drugs we removed from circulation on our streets also rose and crack cocaine seizures went up by 90 per cent."
Police are keen to further drive down low-level, antisocial crime which makes life a misery for residents. This progress and ambition, however, is now at risk as our largest police forces are set to offer voluntary redundancy and early retirement to civilian staff in a bid to avoid axing personnel should expected cuts go ahead.
Lothian and Borders Police are to make the offers to members of the 1,400 civilian staff who support frontline officers.
The scheme is to be established provisionally, with police chiefs only putting plans into action if savings needs to be made. The offers are part of the "Transforming the Service" (TTS) scheme currently being carried out by Deputy Chief Constable Steve Allen.
Reducing the number of civilian staff is currently one of the only ways that police forces are able to make significant cuts. Currently 85 per cent of Lothian and Borders Police's £172.6million budget is spent on salaries, and police officers themselves cannot be laid off under law.
The TTS scheme has already focused on cutting down officers' overtime, which cost the force £8.5million last year. In a report to the police board, Chief Constable David Strang said that Lothian and Borders was facing a 12 per cent cut in real terms over the next three years, with the possibility of the figure rising to 20 per cent over five years.
He said: "It is clear that the force must plan now for actions that must be taken both in the short-term and in the coming years. If the cuts go ahead, civilian police staff whose redundancies are accepted could begin to leave by April next year."
The funding from the Edinburgh-based police force comes from the five local authorities that are covered by the force, as well as contributions from the Scottish government.
A spokesman for the City of Edinburgh Council said: "We recognise the importance of policing but also have to take into account all the other services we provide to our communities."
A spokeswoman for the Scottish government added: "All operational decisions are a matter for individual chief constables."
Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Baker said: "It is now clear the Scottish Government is failing our police forces. Lothian and Borders has now joined Strathclyde in highlighting huge gaps in their budgets. Chief Constable David Strang has made plain the extent of the cuts to come thanks to under-funding from the Scottish Government. Cutting civilian staff means that police will have to come off the beat to do their jobs. This renders their pledge on police numbers meaningless and will hit community policing."
George Foulkes MSP for the Lothians added:
"There has been significant progress made across the Lothians region in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour and this is shown in the figures released this week. People want to know that their communities are being properly policed and protected and I am certain any cuts that compromise frontline services will be strongly opposed by the people of Edinburgh and the Lothians. Crime prevention should be this governments top priority but yet again we see vital services being forced to cut back instead getting the investment they need to expand.
"Jobs and community safety are being put at risk because of a government that promised everything to secure votes and three years on hasn't been able to deliver."
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