In his autumn statement, Mr Osborne said he has had representation police budgets ‘should be cut by up to 10%’, but said ‘now is not the time for further police cuts’.
He told the House of Commons last Wednesday: “Now is the time to back our police and give them the tools to do the job.
“I am today announcing there will be no cuts in the police budget at all. There will be real terms protection for police funding. The police protect us, and we’re going to protect the police.”
Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police Shaun Sawyer reacted to the Chancellor’s statement, saying he awaits detail of the settlement as it affects the Force.
“This appears, at first hearing, more positive than any previous indication from the Government.
“I will need to discuss this further with the Police and Crime Commissioner, it is unlikely that we will get real detail before later in December or early January 2016.
“As with other budgets, such as those within the NHS or education which are ‘ring-fenced’, real financial savings and efficiencies will still have to be made year on year.
“Regardless of the possible financial impact, we will continue to change in order to deliver for the public. We also will continue to redesign our frontline and other support services in response to our mission to meet the changing terrorist, criminal and social threats to society; all this within a rapidly changing and complex digital age.
“Therefore, our local collaborations, strategic alliance and regional collaborations will continue to develop.”
Mr Sawyer added that working with partners locally and nationally, and with the armed services, business, the third sector and the communities, ‘has never been more essential’.
“Although it is understandable there is a desire to know more and to establish a clearer picture from the limited information we have, we will be as patient as possible and speculate as little as possible until we have further, more detailed information.”
Devon and Cornwall’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Conservative Tony Hogg, said he ‘warmly welcomed’ the Chancellor’s announcement not to make any further budget cuts to policing.
He said: “Two weeks ago we were celebrating changing the Government position through our work in Devon and Cornwall on the funding formula.
“Today we see the product of a longer campaign to persuade Government not to proceed with disastrous cuts to police budgets.
“The change in the Government’s position makes it possible for us to plan on building a policing service for 2020. This is a service that will better meet the new and increasing crime areas such as terrorism, cyber crime and child sexual exploitation.
“We will continue to look at efficiency savings across all of our work because the more efficient we become the more resources we can devote to front line policing.
“It is too early to say what specific impact this will have in Devon and Cornwall. We will be looking at the detail over the coming days and weeks and building our plans.”