Police cash 'bleak future' claim

Ray Thomas said front-line services would not be affected

The chief constable of South Wales Police says the future is looking bleak because of a £3.5m budget shortfall.

Barbara Wilding spoke as the North Wales Police Authority, whose force is facing a £5m crisis, prepared to meet to discuss council tax increases.

South Wales Police will receive a 3.6% rise in line with the other three Welsh forces, but says it needs more because it faces greater policing pressures.

The Home Office said it was receiving its fair share of police funding.

But according to Home Office funding formula, the force should have been in line for a 5.7% rise.

South Wales Police Authority chairman Ray Thomas said front-line services would not be affected immediately because of savings, but he warned neighbourhood policing could be affected if cuts continued.

Mr Thomas, who is planning to lobby MPs and the assembly government, said that as the force policed Cardiff and Swansea - as well as major sporting events and Cardiff International Airport - it deserved more funding.

Budget cut

"If you look at the geography and the build-up and the population in south Wales... We're 42% of the country as a whole.

"We've got two major cities within our area - Cardiff and Swansea - and that brings its own problems," he said.

"We have to make sure that the people of south Wales are kept safe."

But in January, north Wales' chief constable Richard Brunstrom also criticised the settlement claiming his force's budget had been cut by £3m in real terms and warned officers could be taken off the beat.

Public opinion

In October, his force announced it would cut 120 backroom posts by March 2007.

The North Wales Police Authority blames its cash crisis on under-funding, but the Home Office has previously said it had received extra funding and services should be protected.

At the meeting of the authority in Colwyn Bay on Friday, Mr Brunstrom will put forward options of a 5%, 10% or 15% rise, but the treasurer's preferred option is an 8.5% rise.

Nigel Thomas said a rise of 8.5% most closely reflected public opinion, and would allow community policing levels to be maintained.

But on Thursday, the Old Colwyn East Residents' Association challenged claims that most people in its area would be happy to pay more for local policing.