Debbie Abrahams Raises Police Cuts In Commons
Debbie Abrahams in the House of Commons recently. (picture: Parliament TV)
Debbie Abrahams has spoken out about the future of the police, telling her fellow MPs the government has treated officers “poorly” by making “disastrous” cuts.
Greater Manchester Police is expected to lose up to 3,000 posts over the coming four years, around half of them uniformed officers, as it struggles to save £134m from its annual budget.
Ms Abrahams told the Commons yesterday the nearly 50 officers in her Oldham East and Saddleworth constituency have contacted her to share their worries about the future, particularly over reforms to pay and pensions.
She said: “The Oldham division has expressed concern not only about the direct effects of the cuts on police spending but about the cuts to the local authority budget and the abolition of area-based grants, all of which will have significant effects.”
She continued: “The partnership working between the police, the local authority and the voluntary sector has had immense benefits for crime prevention and community safety, for example, in target-hardening measures such as alley-gating. There is strong evidence that such measures have a significant benefit for vulnerable properties. Other measures that have brought benefits include youth programmes and offender management.”
Ms Abrahams went on to quote one of the local officers to have got in touch with her, Sergeant David Donlan, as saying: “How many people have to go to work in body armour, routinely putting their lives at risk to protect our communities, and yet have imposed on them where they can live, who they can associate with or even marry? We can’t join a union, let alone strike.”
Ms Abrahams then continued: “The discussions that I have had with local police officers make it clear that they want to see modernisation, but it must be fair. I know that we will be debating pensions soon, but the point for this debate is that, in addition to major changes in terms and conditions and cuts to the workforce, the changes to their pensions are yet another hit for the police.”
She concluded by warning of the possible long-term impact of the cuts: “The trust that underpins community cohesion and positive relationships in a multicultural society is once again being eroded by a Tory government who are determined to drive their disastrous cuts through.”
You can see the speech, which took place in a Policing and Crime debate, by clicking here.
Updates on Debbie Abrahams’ activities at Westminster are available by e-mail from the TheyWorkForYou website here. Articles about her from Saddleworth News can be read here.
The Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, Peter Fahy, recently outlined his thoughts for 2011/12 in a video message. You can see that and read about what he had to say in a Saddleworth News article here.
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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