Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Home Office

Oral Answers to Questions

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Excerpts
Monday 7th November 2011

(12 years, 6 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Herbert of South Downs Portrait Nick Herbert
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As I have said, police forces must make savings because we have to deal with the deficit, but they can do so in a way that protects front-line policing. There is no reason why there should be damage to the front line if they drive savings elsewhere. I have pointed out to the House before, and will do so again, that a third of human resources in police forces are not on the front line. Some 25,000 police officers are in back-room jobs. That is where police forces should begin.

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering Portrait Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
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In making the police settlement and deploying the police’s forces, will the Minister ensure that rural police forces have an element of funding related to rurality and sparsity?

Lord Herbert of South Downs Portrait Nick Herbert
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We do ensure that, and I understand my hon. Friend’s concern about the issue. I will, in fact, be speaking about rural crime at an Association of Chief Police Officers conference later this week. It is important that we tackle such matters, and they will all be taken into account when we consider the specific allocations for police forces for the third and fourth years of the spending round.