RIOT WARNING: Officers 'would struggle' to cope with repeat of summer riots
POLICE would struggle to cope with a repeat of the 2011 summer riots due to budget cuts, a top officer warned today.
Police would 'struggle' with a repeat of the 2011 summer riots, said a top officer
Britain's forces are at risk of "snapping" under the strain of financial cutbacks and a series of major incidents, said Chief Constable Dave Thompson.
He called on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to protect frontline policing, boost investment and slash bureaucracy.
Britain's forces are under the strain of financial cutbacks
The funding forces receive needs to be stabilised with real terms protection for policing as a whole
Mr Thompson, head of the West Midlands force, weighed into the row of budget cuts after warnings from fellow police chiefs that four terror attacks since March has stretched resources to near-breaking point.
He said: "The funding forces receive needs to be stabilised with real terms protection for policing as a whole.
"Last year we saw the prison service snap under pressure with riots in Birmingham Prison.
"We cannot afford this to happen to policing but the strain is showing from recent weeks and we'd have real challenges in dealing with something like the 2011 riots again."
The police would have real challenges in dealing with something like the summer 2011 riots
Mr Thompson made his remarks in a blog for the National Police Chiefs Council.
He later told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Policing is not raising a white flag, saying it can't cope, but the last few weeks - and our general resilience - is starting to show some red lights."