Cleveland Police has had to make additional savings of £4.8m. They have already lost 280 officers and must lose another 58.
The Chief Constable of Cleveland Police is warning that additional spending cuts will force her staff to grade non-emergency police calls in order of their importance.
The Teesside service has already slashed £15 million from its budget but has since discovered it must make an extra £5 million of enforced savings over the next two years.
It means front line officers are facing redundancy.
Rachel Bullock reports.
Jacqui Cheer, Chief Constable of Cleveland Police.
Police & Crime Commissioner for Cleveland Barry Coppinger has questioned why decisions about Cleveland are being made in London.
Cleveland Chief Constable Jacqui Cheer has said that finding the £4.8m savings required is difficult and that jobs will be lost.
58 police officers in Cleveland could lose their jobs as part of budget cuts and 50 civilian staff could also go. The force must save another £4.8m over the next two years.
In order to do this, voluntary redundancy and early retirement will be introduced. 280 officers have already lost their jobs.
Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner, and the Force, have outlined their financial plans. The Force has had to make savings of £15.1m. After a review, additional savings of £4.8m must be made. This means voluntary redundancy and early retirement.
Measures put in place to make those savings:
– Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland Barry Coppinger"The Force is now in a position where it really is going down to the minimum number of people it needs to deliver policing in Cleveland.
“This is exacerbated by the cuts underway in other areas of the public sector which have a direct influence on levels of crime and disorder, and on the demand for policing services.
“This concerns me greatly and it’s time to say to the current government ‘enough is enough’. We are now cut to the bone and this cannot be allowed to continue."
– Chief Constable of Cleveland Police Jacqui Cheer“I do not underestimate the impact our plans will have on individuals, but given the scale of the savings we have to make, regrettably, we have no other option but to downsize.”