Police forced to pay for Cabinet visit (From Wirral Globe)

Police forced to pay for Cabinet visit

9:00am Saturday 4th July 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(3)

MERSEYSIDE Police has been told it must pay for the cost of protecting members of the Cabinet when they visited the county earlier this year.

The force was hoping to recover the £200,000 it cost to provide protection for ministers during the January visit - but the request has been refused.

Chief Constable Bernard Hogan-Howe had written to the Home Office asking for reimbursement.

But the request was refused as the Home Office believes that Merseyside Police would have spent £145,191 policing Merseyside at this time in any case.

The remaining balance of £53,838 is 'of a level that a force of Merseyside's capability would be able to absorb', according to the Home Office.

Wallasey councillor Kate Wood, the Conservative representative on Merseyside Police Authority, said: "I am surprised that the Home Office thinks that this number of officers would be concentrated in Liverpool only for the protection of the Cabinet.

"Officers would have been deployed in Wirral, Sefton, St Helens, Knowsley and Liverpool protecting the residents of those areas, which is what they should be doing.

"They therefore would not be able to provide the cover needed to protect the Cabinet, without extra officers being deployed by way of extra numbers.

"This would ensure that the residents of Merseyside would not be deprived of the cover they needed.

"To suggest that Merseyside Police would be able to find the additional £53,838 is quite ridiculous in the current economic climate.

"This would suggest that balances, possibly needed to run the service in future, would be reduced."

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(3)