Cuts to officer numbers has impacted on service provided by South Yorkshire Police

THE public has not been getting the service they deserve from policing, due to a cut in officer numbers, South Yorkshire Police Federation believes.

Across England and Wales nearly 21,000 officers have been lost over the past 10 years due to draconian cuts in public spending.

South Yorkshire is set to recruit around 300 officers in the next few years to get more officers on the frontline, a step towards getting the force back to pre-austerity levels said South Yorkshire Police Federation Steve Kent.

“We’re back to around 2,500 and the Chief has done some sterling work in getting an extra 2-300 officers in the next couple of years to push that establishment up, which is absolutely what’s necessary,” he said.

“But we need the uplift nationally to bring us up some way to where we used to be. If you imagine, South Yorkshire used to be 3,400. We need to get back somewhere towards that to even remotely try and police to the same standards and level of quality that we used to give the public back then.”

The drop in officer number is felt mostly keenly on the frontline, Steve says, but he’s hopeful a change of Government administration will lead to a brighter future for policing.

“The public aren’t getting the service they deserve. It’s quite simple. [Police officer] numbers, on the frontline, looks like a big percentage drop in frontline police officers. So that’s frontline police officers unable to attend the 999 calls, and the subsequent aspect is that there’s a reduction then because it’s CID which must pick and choose on the severity of investigation and the evidence available.

“We just don’t have the same resources to offer the public the same level of service as to what we did before.

“I’m obviously cynical [about the Government] because I’ve seen a reign of obviously cuts and harsh treatment in terms of funding and whatnot.

“But the new PM certainly seems to be saying the right things and I’m just hoping he follows it up with what he’s said.

“I’ve been impressed with some of the things the [former] Home Secretary said at the Bravery Awards too, that we’ve reached the bottom and hopefully, while slowly, we’re on our way back up.”