PUBLIC confidence in the police has been \u201cseverely dented\u201d as police forces have to reprioritise work in response to funding cuts, the Commons Public Accounts Committee found this month.<\/p>\n
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The report said the Home Office does not understand the demands being faced by the police service and called for an overhaul of the funding formula \u2013 the method by which the amount of money police forces receive from central government is calculated \u2013 as a matter of urgency.<\/p>\n
The public are starting to ask questions about the funding problem, which has been dubbed \u201ca national scandal\u201d by the Police Federation of England and Wales, and are calling for a return to neighborhood policing, Steve Kent said.<\/p>\n
The South Yorkshire Police Federation Chairman said: \u201cThe majority of public know the situation and are supportive. I\u2019ve noticed that the public and the media are noting the increase in crime through recent events in London and in Sheffield and the reduction of policing, and they\u2019re actually starting to ask questions.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a police service nationally we have to communicate with the public and be transparent about what we can do and to an extent manage expectations. I know that we as a force, for example, recently released statistics regards costs and staffing of police at football matches. This showed communities and the public in quite plain English that this is actually one of the reasons why we\u2019re struggling, because we\u2019re having to put so many resources into the football and the football matches around Sheffield, particularly around the derbies.\u201d<\/p>\n
As members of the public gain a greater understanding about police funding problems, they are more likely to put pressure on their MPs as well as manage their own expectations of the police, Steve said.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe need to get the public on side and to appreciate the situation we\u2019re in. That\u2019s happened hasn\u2019t it? Look at the stuff that\u2019s happening in London, the public outcry about it.\u201d<\/p>\n