Tuesday, 21 January 2014

After reducing its current operating budget by £4,000,000, Staffordshire still intends to continue its recruitment drive to obtain 42 new police officers. This figure is in addition to the 28 recruited last year after a recruitment hiatus was lifted last year.

"I thought what budget we were going to get, then a couple of days before I learned we were having an extra top slicing for a new innovation fund which the Government is setting up.", stated Police and Crime Comissioner Matthew Ellis.

In keeping with many other forces hit with massive budget cuts, drives to make better use of technology are to be implemented in order to reduce cost. One recent idea is for police offcers to use mobile devices to carry out administrative duties, rather than having to travel back to the office. A prospect that would free up time, as well as resources.

Local residents have petitioned to preserve the numbers of frontline police officers, with a member of the Joiners Square Residents Association stating: "I'd like to see more police on the streets like there used to be. My biggest fear is that cuts may lead to more anti-social behaviour and crime."