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POLICE services could be severely degraded if the government pushes through any more cuts, the public spending watchdog warned yesterday.
The National Audit Office said that the Home Office had no information to determine how much further it could cut police funding without degrading services.
Central government slashed funding for police forces in England and Wales by a quarter — £2.3 billion — between 2010 and 2015.
Overall, the amount handed to police and crime commissioners, who set the budgets in most of the 43 forces, fell by 18 per cent in real terms over the period.
Separate figures show that the number of officers fell by 16,659 between 2010 and 2014.
Policing Minister Mike Penning insisted that police still had the resources “to do their important work.”
And Home Secretary Theresa May has accused the Police Federation of “crying wolf” about the impact of austerity as she warned rank-and-file officers to brace themselves for fresh cuts.
