MORE THAN 10,000 UK'S POLICE OFFICERS MAY LOSE JOB?

LONDON, England - More than 10,000 police officers in England and Wales are to be cut over the next two years in what the Labour party said yesterday was an example of the "shocking and brutal reality" of the government's spending cuts.
Actually,the police claims the cuts will cost up to 40,000 officers their jobs. About 1,000 Metropolitan officers could go. The government argues that a direct link between crime levels and police numbers is not supported by the evidence.

• According to Labour's research, the job losses would be a consequence of cutting the police budget by a fifth by 2014-15.
• The Labour party said: "These figures expose the claim from the Tory-led Government that they can cut the police budget by 20 per cent and still protect the frontline as false." It said in addition to cutting full-time police officers, thousands of staff jobs would also have to go. The research looked at all 42 police authorities except for British Transport Police.
• The Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) said it would not comment as the matter was a "political issue" but referred to a statement given following the government's spending review. In December Acpo's lead on finance and resources, chief constable Grahame Maxwell, said: "These figures make clear that there are difficult choices ahead for the police service, for police partners and for government."

The centre-right thinktank Civitas last month embarrassed the government by saying that planned police cuts would be a boost for criminals.

Source: Agency