A report issued by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary has found that West Yorkshire Police will have to cut a total of 810 police officer posts by March 2015, to cope with government budget cuts. The force needs to save £103 million in the same period.
The HMIC report was to assess the force's progress in achieving savings in the comprehensive spending review period, it found that by the spring of this year they had planned how to save 95% of the required amount. The force has already reduced it's police officer numbers by 562.
However, despite the number of posts being reduced, the proportion of police officers working on the front line is expected to rise from 87% to 94%, which will be one of the highest percentages in the country.
The report also found that crime rates in West Yorkshire are decreasing, but at a slower rate than across England and Wales as a whole. The force is working to close the gap in crime performance between itself and other forces.
85% of victims in West Yorkshire were satisfied with the service they received from West Yorkshire Police, which is a higher proportion than the average for England and Wales.
West Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Constable John Parkinson paid tribute to the efforts of officers and staff to sustain performance.
"Frontline services in West Yorkshire are being protected as far as possible by making more of the cuts in back-office functions. West Yorkshire Police has one of the highest proportions of its staff dedicated to the frontline and we intend to maintain that position," said DCC John Parkinson.
Councillor Mark Burns-Williamson is Chair of the West Yorkshire Police Authority. BCB's Edward Breslin got his reaction to the HMIC report...
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