Yvette Cooper MP, Shadow Home Secretary, responds to the BBC survey on police funding cuts:

“This research shows the serious risks to policing and community safety of five more years of Theresa May and the Tories, who want to take public spending back to 1930s levels, a time before we even had the NHS. Chief Constables across the country would be forced to cut many more police officers even though they are already under pressure. And neighbourhood policing is being badly hit.

"Police are facing growing pressures, with a huge rise in reported child abuse, rapes and domestic violence, a surge in cybercrime and a serious threat from terrorism. Yet prosecutions for rape, child abuse have fallen, fewer arrests are being made and 999 waits have increased as the police are struggling to cope. Whilst traditional crimes like theft from cars has fallen, online crime is shooting upwards. Already 17,000 police officers have gone. And Theresa Mays plans would mean a further 1,100 going next year.

"Labour has set out plans to find significant savings in the police budget next year - including scrapping costly police and crime commissioners, mandating joint procurement and promoting shared services, ending the police subsidy for gun licenses and increasing fees for police DORs. Our savings would be enough to prevent the 1,100 officers going next year. Theresa May is refusing to make any of these savings so she is forcing the police to cut the frontline instead.”

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