Wiltshire Police face further £3million cut in central government funding

Last week (December 19) Wiltshire Police’s Chief Constable Patrick Geenty presented warrant cards to sixteen new police officers who are joining the Force.  The Police and Crime Commissioner, Angus Macpherson, was there to welcome the recruits who had completed their classroom based training.

They return after Christmas for a further 10 weeks shadowing a more experienced officer before they become independent.  They are joining the Force at a difficult time.

The police grant settlement announced last week has brought a ‘stark reminder’ from Chief Constable Patrick Geenty of the impact of austerity.  However, in his Christmas message, Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson seems optimistic that front line resources will continue to be protected.

The £3million cut means that funding for Wiltshire Police is going down by another 5.1 per cent – and by 2017 the force will have lost 25 per cent of its budget.  And this at a time, Chief Constable Geenty says, that the force is “facing increasing demand for its services.”

The Chief Constable explains that his team have worked really hard to make the required savings: “However, it is clear to me that in the face of these new reductions, I will have to explore all options in order to continue to protect the public of Wiltshire, in the knowledge that we will have between three and four million pounds to save during 2015-2016 dependent on the Commissioner’s decision further to consultation on the police element of council tax in the new year.”

Looking further ahead the Chief Constable expects “things will become even more challenging, with further savings forecast of £7.8million between 2016 and 2018. I want to assure the public that we are doing all that we can to deliver under this austerity.”

In his message, the Commissioner says: “I remain committed to working with the Chief Constable on the transformation plans the Force has in place so that we can continue to protect frontline resources.”