Police 'can't stand still' despite cuts (From Witney Gazette)

Police 'can't stand still' despite cuts

2:34pm Thursday 23rd March 2006 in Witney By Jo Duckles

THAMES Valley Police has to equip itself to deal with terrorism and serious organised crime, despite being forced to cut millions of pounds from its budget.

Acting Chief Constable, Sara Thornton, was speaking after Home Secretary Charles Clarke announced last week that the force would not merge with neighbouring Hampshire.

Instead, it will become a strategic force, equipped to deal with terrorism and serious, organised, cross-border crime.

Ms Thornton said: "The problem with organised crime is no one reports it at the police station.

"It is not a matter of reactively investigating, because it is at a more covert level.

"We might see the symptoms of organised people trafficking and drug dealing."

"I would love to have more staff, but I am also realistic about the budget that had been agreed."

Acting Chief Constable Sara Thornton

When asked whether she would be taking on more police, she said: "The difficulty is the budget is not going to grow.

"We are going to have to look at how we deploy people within the organisation.

"I would love to have more staff, but I am also realistic about the budget that had been agreed."

Earlier this year, Thames Valley Police Authority was forced to cut £9.5m from its budget for 2006/07.

It had hoped to take on 97 new officers, but the cuts meant it can only recruit 37.

Ms Thornton said: "One of the reasons the Home Secretary has let us stand alone is that we are quite a big force already."

The force has about 4,200 officers. Charles Clarke has announced forces with fewer than 4,000 officers will merge with other constabularies. Ms Thornton said the convictions of six men for abducting and murdering 16-year-old Mary-Ann Leneghan, in Reading, was an example of the force's ability to deal with major crimes.

She said: "It was a massive investigation, involving lots of cross-border work between us and the Metropolitan Police and West Midlands Police.

"I think the main message for the force is that while we are standing alone, we can't stand still. We do need to get better at protecting the people of the Thames Valley."