UK police funding in England and Wales is set to fall by £1 billion by 2014.

However, Labour’s March 2010 UK budget had included police funding reductions of £545 million by 2014, and since becoming Labour Leader, Ed Miliband has already made deficit reduction and spending commitments, which mean that Labour cuts or tax rises would be similar in amount to those announced by the UK coalition Government.

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When, in a televised debate shortly before the 2010 General Election, Alan Johnson, then Labour Home Secretary, was asked whether he could promise that Police numbers would not fall if Labour won the election. He replied: "No."

Shadow chancellor, Ed Balls, said last month that Labour would have to make cuts in policing and that he could say, unequivocally, that Labour could make no commitment to reverse any of the Government’s tax rises or spending cuts.

The Central Support Figure for the four Police Authorities in Wales for 2012-13, comprising Revenue Support Grant, Non Domestic Rates, Police Grant and Floor Funding totals £397,481,000, a 6.7% reduction – but the Home Office has still met its responsibility for providing the funding necessary to ensure that no UK Police Authority has to take cuts over 6.7%.

Police authorities in Wales must use all measures at their disposal to keep precepts down to acceptable levels.

Despite a £38 million cut over four years, West Mercia Police Authority has agreed to freeze its portion of the Council Tax 2012-13 – through efficiency savings, strategic alliance with neighbouring forces and utilising their reserves.

In so doing, they can take advantage of a one of grant from the UK Government, made available to help Police Authorities in England deliver a freeze of their portion of Council Tax.

However, these arrangements do not apply in devolved Wales.

Last October, during the Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee inquiry into community safety in Wales, I referred to two committee inquiries during the second Assembly into the proposed police merger, in which I took part.

This found not only that a merger of Welsh police forces would have generated deficits of between £78 million and £120 million by 2012, but also that there would have had to be an equalisation of police precepts, meaning higher increases in south Wales and lower increases elsewhere.

The Association of Chief Police Officers Cymru replied that the funding differences are still there. The chair of the Welsh police authorities stated that there was still a will to equalise, but that this had been prevented by Welsh Government.

It is in the this context that I note the 5% increase in South Wales precept for the average Band D property, the 5% approved by Dwyed Powys Police Authority, 2.66% by Gwent Police Authority and 2.5% by North Wales Police Authority.

It is noted that 4% was initially proposed for North Wale and that Independent Authority Member Chris Drew proposed a freeze because North Wales Police have over £26 million in reserves.

The Chief Constable has stated that 2.5% means the Force now needs to cut an additional £900,000 from its budget each year –

-Although it is understood that the anticipated reserves at the end of this financial year are £2 million more than forecast this time last year, roughly the amount required to freeze the precept.

It is also noted that the North Wales police Authority Strategy agreed in principle last year was for annual increases of 4% based on the lower estimates at that time.

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The previous UK Labour Government spent record sums on policing but despite this spending and record police numbers, just 14% all police officers’ time was spent on patrol compared with 22% of their time on paperwork – according to Hansard, 21^st April 2009.

We must focus police resources onto the frontline and also encourage efficiencies within those frontline services.

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