MPs slammed the Home Office and police chiefs yesterday for failing to comprehend the impact that savage cuts have had on police services.

Commons public accounts committee (PAC) members have been investigating the financial suitability of police forces in England and Wales as their forces prepare for a fresh round of cuts.

The influential committee accused senior police officers of lacking sufficient information on the demands placed upon their subordinates.

And the Home Office was condemned for what was described as a “significant failure” in addressing its problematic “hands-off” approach, which had previously been raised by the committee.

Over the last five years central funding plummeted by £2.3 billion, or a quarter, in real terms and the Home Office has been ordered to propose further savings of between 25-40 per cent by 2019-20.

The PAC concluded that the Home Office’s “hands-off approach to police limits its ability to ensure value for money.”