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| Press Releases |
| ‘Valuing the Police’ – HMIC Report Raises Concerns |
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Tuesday, 20 July, 2010
Delivering an effective and efficient policing service in West Yorkshire is what the Police Authority always strives to achieve, however a national report released today highlights an issue which is of considerable concern.
The HMIC Report ‘Valuing the Police’ talks about a fixed percentage cut to government funding and the West Yorkshire Police Authority is concerned about the impact it would have on Force spending.
Cllr Mark Burns-Williamson, Chair of West Yorkshire Police Authority said: “West Yorkshire Police Authority has the third lowest council tax in England and Wales and as a result will be disproportionately affected by the government grant reductions if they are simply applied across the board.
“In order to keep council tax precept low West Yorkshire receives a high percentage of it’s funding from government grant compared with some other areas. By reducing the grant by 10% it would hit West Yorkshire harder then others.
“The report highlights the significant challenges we face, in reducing costs very significantly while at the same time retaining a police service that is visibly effective in the eyes of the public.
“This is a time when Authorities and Forces need to work closely together setting out clear joint strategic plans which focus on maintaining value for money and public confidence and satisfaction.
“In West Yorkshire and also across the Yorkshire and Humber region, this work has been ongoing for some time now with local and regional efficiency plans already in place and areas of collaboration have already been identified.
“The government proposals for a fundamental change to the established accountability arrangements and their plans to replace police authorities with a directly elected individual are a distraction to this important agenda, and risk diverting attention away from the real issues facing us.
“Every pound that the government spends on creating the new elected positions and paying their salaries is money that will not be available for policing.
“We know that changes have to be made, but our commitment to providing the best possible service to the people of West Yorkshire will not waver. We will continue to work closely with West Yorkshire Police and our colleagues in the Yorkshire and Humber region to ensure a value for money service which you expect and deserve.” |
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