Police in officers cut-back
Wigan Police could lose dozens of frontline officers after the Greater Manchester force overspent by £5m.
A freeze on civilian recruitment and crackdown on overtime, training and travel are also to be enforced as it seeks to balance the books.
Accountants have forecast the force will overreach its 560m annual budget by around 5m when the financial year ends in March.
The overspend is being blamed on the cost of new technology at call centres, a number of "high profile" murders and a force-wide crackdown on burglaries.
It is forecast that 300 officer posts will be lost over the Greater Manchester divisions, which could equate to around 30 in Wigan,
The cuts will leave GMP with 7,900 officers – falling further behind the target of 11,000 set by ex-Chief Constable Mike Todd in 2004.
GMP will cut the 300 officers through "natural wastage," meaning no-one will be made redundant but those who retire will not be replaced.
But the force claims that the public will actually see more bobbies on the beat as it uses civilian workers to deal with paperwork and red tape.
The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it was "very concerned" that the cuts will affect services to the public.
Chief Constable Peter Fahy said: "We are working to provide the best possible service with the resources we have available. Like all public services, the force is facing an uncertain financial future."
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Weather for Wigan
Thursday 02 September 2010
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 22 C
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
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