Frontline cops tackling crime will be AXED to save cash as police chiefs warn ‘the lemon has been squeezed dry’

POLICE chiefs today warned of losing frontline cops to tackle crime because the ‘lemon has been squeezed dry.’

Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley confirmed up to 2,300 officers would be cut from his force because of a £450 million funding gap.

And Essex chief constable BJ Harrington said he expects to lose 200 cops as well as civil staff because of a £34million shortfall for the next financial year.

Mr Harrington said savings by the force, higher council taxes and extra Government funding of £6 million would reduce the deficit to just over £20 million.

But he warned: “The bottom line is we have squeezed the lemon and it is pretty dry.”

Mr Harrington added that his force had made £42 million worth of savings over the last five years and there were very few efficiencies which could now be made.

The chief said: “To put it bluntly the books don’t balance,” adding the last solution is employing fewer officers and staff.

Extra financial pressures have been mainly caused by unfunded police pay rises with forces nationwide feeling the pinch.

Mr Harrington said officers were leaving to become train drivers and scaffolders for better money and the force needed to pay decent salaries to retain them.

He and Essex Police, Fire and Crime commissioner Roger Hurst yesterday wrote to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper pleading for extra funds.

Meanwhile, Met boss Sir Mark told the London Policing Board that the “very substantial” gap in its funding had led to “tough choices.”

As well as losing 2,300 officers, the Met is set to cut 400 civil staff jobs.

In a report to the policing board, Sir Mark promised not to cut “already overstretched emergency response teams.”

But he warned the Met might have to scale back “our ability to tackle serious violence and organised crime by cutting the teams that proactively target some of the most harmful offenders.”

One proposal is to relieve the Flying Squad of gun duties and cut its strength by a fifth.

The Met’s dogs unit and mounted branch may also be slashed and intelligence teams reduced.

Sir Mark said: “Those steps we are taking still leave a very substantial gap which leads us to a list of tough choices."