President: joining up public services is the only way to meet spending cuts

Funding for policing in England and Wales should no longer be considered in isolation from spending on other public services, the Home Secretary will be told at the annual conference of senior operational police officers.

Chief Superintendent Irene Curtis, President of the Police Superintendents’ Association of England and Wales, says the scale of cuts facing policing at the next Comprehensive Spending Review, coupled with the changing demand for policing services, will significantly impact on the police service's ability to cut crime and protect people from harm. If there is to be any possibility of services being protected, there needs to be a different approach to spending on public services across the whole of Government.

She is calling for a unified approach from Whitehall to make sure the public do not lose out on vital services that they need and expect.

The head of the body that represents senior operational police leaders will set out her message in front of Home Secretary Theresa May at the Association’s annual conference in Warwickshire on Tuesday 8 September.

Ch Supt Curtis will say: “The cuts that policing is facing are too great, and the impact they will have should no longer be considered to be just policing’s problem. I think they are a problem for everybody to face, not only the police service, but also government, our public sector partners and particularly the public, who are, after all the main recipients of policing services.

“Because if we cannot police effectively with the resources we have with, that becomes a problem for society. I genuinely believe that the scale of the challenge ahead makes this a serious risk.

“I do not believe that individually every force can find the savings that will be needed. Even working collectively, I do not believe that 43 forces together will be able to meet the savings targets without it potentially leading to dramatic, unfair and dangerous variations in the level of service provided from one force to the next, and the loss of public confidence that will inevitably result.

“The government needs to listen to what people at all levels of the service are saying about the impact of the proposed budget cuts. If these go ahead, then there needs to be a radical rethink of how public services are funded and delivered. If this isn't addressed, then the next round of cuts will have a fundamental impact on all public services. Almost everything that the police deal with today has an impact on, a crossover with, or a root in another public service; whether that is health, education, social services, housing or something else.

“Government cannot look at policing budgets or services in a silo any more. We need to think differently about how public services can be delivered better, in a more integrated way that reduces future demand everywhere.”