This just in from the police. Ed
Following today’s announcement by policing minister Nick Herbert, Hampshire Constabulary and Hampshire Police Authority have released the following statements.
Deputy Chief Constable Andy Marsh said: “The constabulary has been working for some months to scope how we can provide excellent policing services and keep the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight safe, while making the most of our resources and working within a reduced budget.
“The budget available to the constabulary is decided by Hampshire Police Authority, which will meet to consider this on February 15, 2011.
“The Chief Constable has stated that he wishes to protect the funding of as many frontline services as possible, including targeted patrol teams, safer neighbourhoods teams and local crime management, until at least April 2012.
“However, we have a programme of work in place to review the whole organisation and to ensure we are in a position to meet the challenges presented by a reduced budget.
“Teams from our finance department are currently working through the figures to determine exactly what this new budget means for Hampshire Constabulary.
“We will have a better understanding of what this means in terms of how we will deliver policing and the impact on our staff numbers by April 2011.”
Councillor Adrian Collett, Vice Chair of Hampshire Police Authority, said: “We are committed to maintaining and improving the level of service to our communities, including our local neighbourhood policing teams, by maximising and efficiently using our resources in order to deliver an excellent service for the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in a period of unprecedented economic change.”
