- Northumbria Police force has had its budget cut by 23 per cent since 2010
- But the Home Office said the force still has a budget of more than £260million
- Force was criticised for paying £10,000 to a convicted child rapist for informing
- Chief Steve Ashman received £212,843 in pay and pension contributions in 2016
Northumbria Police Chief Constable Steve Ashman
A leading police officer has claimed that his force has been pushed almost to breaking point by budget cuts.
Northumbria Police Chief Constable Steve Ashman, whose force has had its budget cut by 23 per cent since 2010, told a public meeting: ‘If the day of not being able to provide a professional service was here, I would say. It is not here, but it is getting very, very close.’
But the Home Office said the force still has a budget of more than £260million, including a £600,000 increase on the previous year.
The force has been criticised for paying £10,000 to a convicted child rapist for informing, and spending £50,000 on a sculpture named ‘Total Policing’ – delivered on the day staff were told 450 jobs were being cut.
A national review found Northumbria Police was buying police car radios and batons for more than double the price of other forces.
Mr Ashman, who received £212,843 in pay and pension contributions last year, is retiring in November after less than three years in charge.
At the Newcastle City Council meeting, he said: ‘This weekend we’ve got the Great North Run, a protest, and Sunderland are playing Sheffield at home.
‘Officers have had their leave days cancelled, that is not unusual, and it is having an impact.’