Greater Manchester Police losing five officers a week

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk has warned that falling police officers will have an impact on crime after it’s emerged that Greater Manchester Police is losing five officers every week.

Speaking after chief constable Sir Peter Fahy announced that he would be presenting proposals in the coming weeks to manage reduced police numbers, Simon Danczuk said the police were in danger of becoming overstretched.

“We can’t keep losing valuable frontline officers and not expect crime to increase,” he said. “Police officers are under enough pressure as it is at the moment and they are telling me that often they go without eating all day because the shifts are so busy and the force is overstretched.

“The Home Secretary has to answer why she’s let the thin blue line get continually thinner while wasting millions on police and crime commissioners that have proven to be completely ineffective.”

Sir Peter Fahy confirmed that the number of Greater Manchester Police officers was being reduced by the equivalent of five a week as officers retire and are not being replaced. “As this occurs we try and ensure that this reduction is carried evenly across the force and we have a range of projects to bring about changes in working practices so that the service to the public does not suffer unreasonably,” he explained.​​