Criminals get free rein as police struggle with reduced funding

The Chief Constable of the second largest police force in the UK - West Midlands - has said that police forces across the country are having to let criminals go Scott free and unpunished because of funding cuts that have resulted in a severe lack of resources.

His comments come after Her Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary has already warned that the cracks in the system are widening after an inspection of 14 forces across the UK. The Inspectorate found a national shortage of detectives with many roles remaining unfilled resulting in a quarter of all thefts and common assaults being investigated by unqualified officers.

The government has countered the criticism by pointing out that it has provided more than £1bn increase in the police budget compared to last year.