Force could lose 20% of officers by 2020

SOUTH Yorkshire Police looks set to lose 115 officers and 732 staff by 2020 as budget cuts continue to bite.

The estimates have been outlined in a “refreshed” policing plan for the county published by Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings.

The PCC predicts that over 10 years, from 2010 to 2020, the number of officers will have been cut by nearly 20%, from 2,952 to 2,379.

However, they will make up a larger proportion of the force as the number of staff will be cut by more than half, from 2,303 to 1,001.

While police community support officers have dropped by 103 to 225 since 2010, there are no plans to reduce the number further.

Dr Billings said the force needed to “look for better ways of doing things at less cost”, which will also include sharing equipment and facilities with local forces and partners such as the fire service.

However, he has expressed concerns about the number of non-crime matters police are called upon to deal with. “In fact around 80% of demand is non-crime related. This demand can only increase as other parts of the public sector are cut back,” he said.

A survey of public confidence, cited in the policing plan, found that 82% of people thought the force showed respect to the community, while 65% thought the force treated people fairly.

There were local variations, however. In Rotherham, confidence levels have decreased significantly, by 5%. The report says this is “almost certainly” the result of the Jay and Casey reports into child sexual exploitation. “A lot of work is needed here to reverse this,” said Dr Billings.

The PCC acknowledged that crime had risen in the past year, but pointed out that 62 extra posts had been funded in the Public Protection Unit to deal with crimes such as sexual assault, rape, stalking and harassment.