12 March 2012
Deep cuts to the Ministry of Defence police will limit the force's power to investigate thefts and frauds and ultimately cost the MoD billions of pounds in unsolved crimes, it has been claimed.
The Defence Police Federation (DPF), the staff association for MoD Police personnel, has launched a video which warns that planned cuts to the MoD Police budget could lead to up to 90 per cent of the force's CID complement being cut.
The DPF claims that ministers intend to slash the MoD Police budget by almost 50 per cent, which could lead to the force being reduced to 2,100 officers in 2013, down from 3,500 in 2009.
Citing statistics from the National Fraud Authority, the DPF has warned that the resulting uninvestigated theft and fraud could cost the MoD as much as £2bn a year, just under 5 per cent of the total MoD budget.
The organisation also said that community policing for forces families may have to be carried out by already-stretched local police forces.
Eamon Keating, National Chairman of the Defence Police Federation, said: "We all know and appreciate that the MoD has to make savings, but drastic cuts to its dedicated civilian police force make no sense and will ultimately cost far more money than they save, as a huge number of crimes will simply go undetected with no dedicated team to investigate them."
The Defence Police Federation video can be viewed via this link. |