“If we are not there for vulnerable people… then who else is?”

“THE frontline of the police service is getting eroded away. And we can’t provide the service that we did five years ago.”

That was the warning from Sgt David Baines, chairman of the Sergeants’ Branch Board of South Yorkshire Police Federation, to local MPs. Sgt Baines, pictured right with Sgt Dean Hague, joined Fed colleagues at the meeting in Westminster on September 11.

He said: “One of the concerns we did raise was in relation to the fact these cuts – not only do they affect the police, morale and pay and conditions – they are also affecting the vulnerable in society.

“We have serious concerns in relation to privatisation of the service police deliver. For me it is fundamentally wrong that companies can get profits out of the misery of others – because that is what we do deal with.

“The people that are going to suffer from these cuts are the vulnerable in society. These are the people we spend 90% of our time with.

“These are the people that are going to be affected. These are the people that rely on the police as the service of last resort. If we are not there for them who else is?”

Sgt Baines said although the meeting “went well”, next time they would look to come back with more statistical rather than anecdotal evidence on the affect of police cuts.

“We need to give the MPs evidence on how the cuts are impacting society,” said Sgt Baines.

“We need to bring some reality about how the cuts are actually affecting South Yorkshire and forces across the country. And what is happening in South Yorkshire is replicated across the country.

“The frontline is getting eroded away. And we can’t provide the service that we did five years ago. At the end of the day, if you haven’t got an officer to attend the job, you haven’t got an officer to attend the job.”