Crime Victims Pay The Price For Police Budget Cuts

Crime victims are facing a poorer service because of police budget cuts, according to a new survey.

The results of a national detectives' survey, undertaken by the Police Federation of England and Wales, highlights the continuing pressure that detective officers throughout the country are under.

More significantly, they show that detectives throughout the country believe victims and witnesses of crime are getting a substandard level of service as a result.

The results voice the concerns of almost 4,000 detective officers in England and Wales. The pressure on this vital investigative role in policing is taking its toll, with only 39% of respondents saying that they are 'able most or all of the time to provide the service victims needed'.

Paul Ford, Secretary, Police Federation's National Detectives' Forum, said: "No officer in the country wants to let the public down. The results of this survey makes for very uncomfortable reading but highlights in no uncertain terms the actual impact that the cuts are having on victims, witnesses, detective officers and the police service as a whole.

"This is the sad reality of the state that the service is in. Victims and witnesses are our primary concern and it is grossly unfair that detectives are under such intense pressure to provide the service that the public want and deserve.

"Officers are clearly stretched to capacity and doing their level best to deliver against the odds. The austerity cuts are having an effect on everyone but this is totally unacceptable; it is jeopardising the service the public get and will have a detrimental impact on future successful investigations and prosecutions."

(CD/JP)