Rudd to meet West Mids MPs to discuss police cuts
Home Secretary Amber Rudd has agreed to meet a delegation of West Midlands' MPs to discuss the impact of funding cuts on the region's police force.
Dudley North MP Ian Austin requested the meeting after he raised the issue of proposed cuts to counter terror budgets at Prime Minister’s Questions earlier this week.
Four of the country's most senior officers wrote to Theresa May saying that counter terrorism policing and the Protective Security Grant will fall by 7.2 per cent over the next two years.
It comes after Detective Inspector Warren Hines said West Midlands Police was in crisis, with an increasing number of officers contemplating suicide due to the impact of budget cuts.
Labour MP Mr Austin said: “I am pleased that the Home Secretary has recognised the severity of the cash crisis facing West Midlands Police and has agreed to meet a delegation to discuss funding.
“West Midlands Police is the second largest force in England and Wales and has the largest counter terrorism unit in the country after the Met.
“The planned cuts will have a big impact on West Midlands Police’s ability to fight terror over the coming years.
“The Home Secretary needs to change course and ensure they have the funding they need to keep people safe.”
Former shadow policing minister Jack Dromey said cuts to police funding were 'particularly severe' in the West Midlands, where £145 million had been slashed from the police budget and officer numbers had dropped by nearly 2,000.
“The Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson has honestly and bravely admitted that the Government haven’t given him the necessary resources needed to protect from terror and respond to crime," he added.
“I hope the Home Secretary makes the funding available to protect West Midlands Police to ensure that they can carry out their vital work and keep the public safe.”
Last week Mr Jamieson briefed MPs with Chief Constable Dave Thompson on the force’s response to terrorism and the funding implications.
The PCC has previously warned of the impact of police cuts on 'everyday crime', warning that whilst the terror threat level was critical local policing was 'pretty much non-existent'.
The Prime Minister insists the Government has protected counter-terrorism policing and is committed to increasing the number of armed police.
