Police cuts will compromise the fight against terror, says Umunna

Police cuts will compromise the fight against terror, Chuka Umunna has said.

In an article for the Daily Mirror, the former shadow business secretary criticised the Government’s plans to cut the number of police officers. He said these cuts will also “slow down child sex abuse investigations and hamper the fight against serious youth violence”.

Umunna cited Met Police Commissioner, Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe who said that under Government cuts, London could lose 5,000 officers.

Earlier this week a leaked letter from one of Britain’s top police officers said cuts could “reduce very significantly” the UK’s ability to respond to a Paris-style attack. It’s thought Chancellor George Osborne will announce cuts to the police budget of more than 20% in the Spending Review on Wednesday.

Yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn accused the Government of “gambling with the safety of the British people,” if it goes ahead with these cuts.  “What’s pro-British about ministers whose police cuts are so severe that, as senior officers have warned, they are expected to ‘reduce very significantly’ the ability to respond to a Paris-style attack?

“By pressing ahead with these cuts, the government is failing in its most basic duty: to protect our citizens. They must be halted” ,he said.

John McDonnell, shadow chancellor, has also criticised the Government’s plans. This morning on the Andrew Marr Show he urged Osborne to “end the cuts to policing”. He said the Chancellor would have his support on this issue if he chose to reverse cuts, and that there would be “no political game playing”.