Lincolnshire's PCC Mark Jones warning he'll have to look at cutting jobs if the force doesn't receive more funding
Lincolnshire Police is one of ten forces who've jointly written to Home Secretary over funding concerns
Lincolnshire’s police commissioner has warned that jobs could have to be cut unless more funding is received.
Ten police forces have written to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, saying they face a £300m funding shortfall.
Lincolnshire PCC Marc Jones has signed the letter, along with representatives from the Metropolitan Police, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk, according to the Daily Telegraph.
The forces say a higher-than-inflation pay award of 4.75 per cent will cost them millions to fund, and lower staff numbers will make it harder to hit targets on knife crime and violence against women and girls.
The Home Office, which is due to announce future funding levels this week, says it has already increased investment in policing by half a billion pounds this year.
Mr Jones said online this reflected “the reality of the chaos of police funding”.
He said that “national politicians need to get real and fund policing properly” and blamed a watchdog’s critical report of Lincolnshire Police that was published this week as evidence of “generational underfunding”.
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) identified five areas of concern at Lincolnshire Police, but Mr Jones has insisted that almost all relate to a shortage of officers and staff.
The Home Office says that all police forces will be compensated for higher National Insurance contributions which were announced in the budget, and it will be down to forces to set their own council tax levels.
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Home Secretary has already announced an increase of over half a billion pounds of central government funding for policing next year, with a core grant increase of more than £260 million.
“This overall increase also includes an additional £100 million to reinvigorate neighbourhood policing and restore a visible presence of officers to our streets. Further funding and details on the overall settlement will be announced in due course.”