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Recuitment freeze as West Yorkshire Police awaits cuts
West Yorkshire Police have cancelled officer recruitment ahead of next month's government spending cuts.
A meeting of West Yorkshire Police Authority heard that two planned student officer intakes have been axed.
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No decisions will be made on extra officer numbers until the results of the Government's comprehensive spending review are known in October.
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And Nigel Brook, assistant chief officer for finances and resources, told a meeting of the authority's resources committee that external recruitment of police staff had been frozen, with civilian staff numbers currently 66 'below profile'.
He said: "Our officers know what the situation is. They are looking at reducing spending."
Mr Brook went on: "My personal judgment is we will end up reducing recruitment for the next few years. I don't think we will achieve the kind of cuts we will need without doing so."
Members were told that up to 320 officers leave the force each year.
Authority chairman Mark Burns-Williamson said: "I think we need to maintain some recruitment if at all possible. You have a number of people who leave the organisation every year and it comes back to bite you at some point if you have a recruitment freeze."
The meeting was told there were two intakes of 20 student officers in April and May and a further intake in August.
Last week Julie Spence, chief constable of Cambridgeshire Police, said
forces would face Armageddon if funding cuts as high as 40 per cent were imposed.
Speaking as she prepared to retire, she said police could be reduced to
a "999 emergency service" if such a level was imposed.
She said Government departments had been warned to prepare for 40 per cent cuts, adding: "There would be a drastic reduction in service. It would be Armageddon.
"The police service you see today would not be the police service you see in the future."
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Weather for Leeds
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: -1 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 1 C to 6 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
