West Yorkshire axes 450 front-line police
Wednesday 12 September 2012
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EmailWest Yorkshire Police has axed 450 front-line officers since the coalition government imposed its austerity programme in 2010.
The losses - 9 per cent of the county's police service - exceed the government's estimated loss of officers for the whole of the austerity period which continues until 2015.
Mark Burns-Williamson, Labour's candidate for West Yorkshire police commissioner, released the figures based on Commons documents.
He said the government's estimate of West Yorkshire police job losses for the whole period was 367 by 2015.
Mr Burns-Williamson said: "The Tories should be trying to fight crime and support the police. Instead they are cutting our police officers. They don't have a proper plan to cut crime."
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