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Crime rate in some offences has increased since the numbers of police were reduced warns the chief of police (7 June 2012)

Date: 07/06/2012
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Crime rate in some offences has increased since the numbers of police were reduced warns the chief of police

There has been a rise in incidents of burglary and violent crime in some parts of the country due to sweeping cuts in police numbers.
Acting Chief Constable Chris Weigh of the Lancashire force has said that the loss of front line officers had resulted in increase in the number of offences being committed.
Coming from a chief of police is a first, especially since he quoted budgetary pressures as the reason for crime rate to have increased and calling the government to rethink its plans to cut police funding by 20 percent.
More than 500 officers have been removed from their positions and Mr Weigh attributing the rise in crime to it said there had been a “significant” rise in certain crimes including house burglary which was up 8.4 per cent and violent crime which was up 5.4 per cent in April compared to the same time last year.
He also suggested that the recession was leading to an increase in certain crimes such as shoplifting for food.
Mr Weigh stressed that while overall crime across the country remained at all time low levels, the upward trend in some offences was a real cause for concern.
Addressing a meeting of the Lancashire Police Authority Mr Weigh said that the force was taking off 513 police officers off the streets and the targeting capabilities have been hit with a genuine real increase in offending.
His comments came as former Met Commissioner Lord Blair warned that the Government's plans could damage the nature of policing and reduce crime prevention work.
Shadow Policing Minister, David Hanson, said it was shocking that a senior police officer was saying that the Tory led Government’s police cuts were the cause for some crimes to rise.
He added Theresa May and David Cameron were warned they were taking a massive risk with public safety and now the results were there to see. The focus should be on cutting crime rather than just cutting the police he said.
But a Home Office spokesman said that the quality and effectiveness of policing was not dependant only on numbers but about how well they were deployed. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary had made it clear there was no simple link between the number of front line officers and crime levels.

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